Why the CDC says everyone should avoid cruise ships right now
With cases of Omicron propagating rapidly around the world, US centers for the fight against the disease and prevention (CDC) have published a new counseling newsletter that travelers completely avoid cruise ships – even when they are perfectly Vaccinated. The decision is partly part of the peak in CVIV-19 cases observed between cruise ships passengers and crew members.
Current data indicate the number of Daily Covid-19 cases in the United States have begun to form astronomy at the beginning of December 2020, a new wave fueled largely by the last variant concern, Omicron (VIA CDC). This new wave – combined with many unanswered questions on the variant – has led to renewed restrictions to reduce transmission and preventing the health system from becoming (even more) overloaded.
In light of the high transmissibility of Omicron and the record number of cases he has produced, the CDC advises that travelers completely avoid taking trips on cruise ships, even if they received the first dose of vaccines. COVID-19 and the return shot (via Reuters). . The CDC retains a website indicating the status of various cruise ships operating in the United States using a color-coded table.
The yellow state indicates that a sufficient number of substantial COVID-19 infections has been identified among the passengers and / or the crew to ensure a CDC survey – and, at the date of the highest update. Recent, almost all cruise lines are now listed yellow. In most cases, the CDC states that it has started an investigation, ever done one with plans to continue monitoring the vessel.
Cruise ships currently listed by the CDC as “Yellow” include the breeze, conquest, dream, enlargement, freedom and a number of other Carnival Cruise Lines vessels, as well as multiple Holland America ships , and Disney’s Dream, Fantasy, Magic, and wonder ships – as well as many others from different cruise companies.
The cruise industry reacts
It’s easy to see why cruise ships can be problematic when you try to avoid a widespread illness near an infected person. These vessels often have cramp districts and people tend to gather in shared spaces, including bars, swimming pools and bridges. The limited space on a cruise ship means that it can be difficult to leave your room but still keeps a distance from other people.
Despite these concerns and the growing number of COVID-19 cases on cruise ships, the industry has not responded favorably to the latest directives of the CDC. Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has already published a statement on the issue, calling on the “particularly perplexed” directive in the light of the fact that “the cases identified on cruise ships are always a very thin minority of the total population on board . “
CLIA continues to claim that the number of cases on ships is “much less than on land”, indicating that most cases are light or asymptomatic and suggest that cruise ships could potentially be safer – from a point of view Risks of infection – only to spend its holidays on Earth.