US lifted all COVID-19 travel warnings for cruise ships

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States withdrew the warning to citizens about the risk of contracting covid-19 on board cruise ships that they maintained for two years, a decision that was greeted this Wednesday with joy by a sector badly hit by the pandemic.

15 days ago the CDC had lowered its warning to level two (moderate), which came to be in the fourth, the highest, at the times when the incidence of covid-19 was highest.

In 2020, the CDC even issued an order not to sail to cruise ships departing from ports in the United States due to the numerous cases of covid-19 recorded on board those tourist ships, which resulted in millionaire losses for the companies.

The ban was maintained for 15 months. The first cruise ship to travel with passengers from the US was Royal Caribbean's Celebrity Edge, which sailed from Everglades Harbor (southeast Florida) on June 26, 2021.

The first reactions to the withdrawal of the warning were one of satisfaction and to highlight that it is the result of the efforts of cruise companies to prevent the spread of covid-19, although there were also reproaches to the CDC for the delay in doing so.

Tom McAlpin, CEO of Virgin Voyages, declared himself “absolutely thrilled” in statements collected by media dedicated to information about the cruise industry, whose main market in the world is the United States.

Recognition of a joint effort

“While we think this took a long time to come, we recognize this step as a demonstration of all the hard work this industry has done to ensure that we offer the safest way to travel. It's refreshing to see them recognize where we are and clearly where our consumers are considering the huge increase in demand we've seen,” he added.

This decision “recognizes the effective public health measures implemented,” said the International Association of Cruise Lines (CLIA) in a statement sent to the EFE agency.

“Since the start of the pandemic, CLIA cruise line members have prioritized the health and safety of their guests, crew and communities visiting and sailing today with health measures that are virtually unmatched by any other commercial environment,” he adds.

Holland American Line President Gus Antorcha stressed that CDC has taken an “important step” by recognizing the work done by cruise lines “to create a healthy environment for passengers, crew members and the communities we serve.”

The cruise industry was one of the most affected by travel restrictions related to the covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, but, according to a recent study by AAA Travel agency, linked to the largest motorist association in the US, it is gaining strong momentum in 2022.

The study published on March 22 showed that cruise reservations made through AAA Travel in the four weeks prior to that date doubled those for the same period last year.

In fact, 23% of Americans are thinking about going on a cruise ship within two years, according to that study.

Anne Madison, a spokesperson for CLIA, which represents 90% of companies that make ocean voyages, told EFE last December that by the end of July 2022 the sector will have recovered 100% of its capacity.

(With information from EFE)

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