Carnival Vista cruise ship.Photo: Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty
The agency announced Thursday that its COVID-19 Travel Health Notice (THN) has been raised to its highest level possible, Level 4. It was previously at Level 3.
The change comes as cases of COVID-19 are spiking across the United States thanks to the Omicron variant, which the World Health Organization announced the discovery of in late November.
Since then, the CDC says multiple COVID outbreaks have been reported on cruise ships. In late December, two Royal Caribbean ships had a large number of passengers test positive mid-trip:48 on the Miami-bound Symphony of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, and55 just days later on the Odyssey of the Seasin the Caribbean.
“The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads easily between people in close quarters on board ships,” the agency said Thursday, “and the chance of getting COVID-19 on cruise ships is very high, even if you are fully vaccinated and have received a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose.”
The CDC has also labeled several cruise ships as “level yellow” under its color-coded health status chart for ships operating in U.S. waters, which results in a CDC investigation into a ship’s specific outbreak.
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In the interim, those traveling on cruise ships are asked to ensure that they are fully vaccinated with a booster shot, if eligible, before embarking on their trip. Passengers are also encouraged to get tested one to three days before setting sail and three to five days following the trip “regardless of vaccination status or symptoms.”
Additionally, the CDC recommends that those on cruise ships wear a mask in shared spaces.
Carnival Vista.RHONA WISE/AFP via Getty
The CDC says it raises a THN level when the incidence rate or case count and testing metrics meet a specific threshold for at least 14 days in a row, or if a large increase in COVID-19 cases is reported.
Under the Level 4 rating, travelers are asked to avoid the specified destination no matter their vaccination status. To lower the rating, the aforementioned metrics must meet the threshold for one of the lower THN levels for at least 28 straight days.
On Wednesday, the U.S. reported itssingle highest numberof daily COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began nearly two years ago. According toThe New York Times, more than 480,000 cases were reported.
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source: people.com
