Cruise lines will no longer have to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health rules to guard against COVID-19.
The CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing Order, which was extended and modified in October, will expire Saturday, at which point the health agency’s COVID guidance for cruise ships will become voluntary, the CDC confirmed to USA TODAY on Wednesday.
“This means cruise lines can choose whether to follow the health agency’s guidance or not,” USA Today said.
CDC spokesperson David Daigle said the Atlanta-based health agency “is transitioning to a voluntary COVID-19 risk mitigation program.”
The CDC in 2020 brought in what was called a Conditional Sail Order to try to control COVID outbreaks on board cruise ships. On Wednesday (January 12), the group said it will transition to a new, totally voluntary set of health and safety guidelines for ships operating in U.S. waters.
On Wednesday, the CDC officially confirmed the sail order will be transitioned on January 15 to a new and purely voluntary set of guidelines for COVID health and safety for ships sailing in U.S. waters.
USA Today said the program includes guidance and recommendations for cruise ships to keep operating in a way that fosters a safer and healthier environment for passengers, crew and impacted communities, according to the CDC.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a Senate hearing on Tuesday that the cruise industry had stepped up during the pandemic.
The news was welcomed by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
“The transition of the Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) to a voluntary program effective January 15 recognizes the cruise industry’s unwavering commitment to providing some of the highest levels of COVID-19 mitigation found in any industry,” the group said in a statement published in Cruise Week.
The easing of rules by the CDC is in some ways surprising, as the group just two weeks ago bumped cruise travel to level four on their travel advisory site. Level four indicated a “very high” degree of COVID-19. Americans are warned against travelling to any destination with a level four designation.
