According to a report by Fran Golden in Cruise Critic, in what she describes as a major win for cruise fans, the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention updated its Conditional Sailing Order on May 12 to loosen mask-wearing requirements for fully vaccinated cruise passengers and the update also allows vaccinated cruise passengers to explore independently on shore at ports of call.
In the updated rules for the resumption of cruises, the CDC says cruise ship operators “at their discretion, may advise passengers and crew that if they are fully vaccinated, they may gather or conduct activities outdoors, including engaging in extended meal service or beverage consumption, without wearing a mask except in crowded settings.”
The CDC also sais cruise lines may allow fully vaccinated passengers to explore ports on their own, with the agency saying those who are vaccinated “may engage in self-guided or independent exploration during port stops, if they wear a mask while indoors.”
The CDC notes, however, that foreign countries could have their own requirements concerning independent port exploration.
The report goes on to say that immediately, lines began putting out information, with Vicki Freed, Royal Caribbean’s senior vice president of sales, saying in her Wednesday Coffee Talk masks will not be required at Royal Caribbean’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
The report says that CDC has been meeting frequently with cruise lines since it updated its guidance for test cruises and restricted startup cruises last week.
Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, had criticized the agency for not issuing separate guidance for passengers who are fully vaccinated, as opposed to those who are not. Norwegian Cruise Line has committed to sailing ships with 100 percent vaccinated passengers and crew through October.
Cited as particularly onerous in the original guidance were restrictions on how long cruise passengers can take off their masks to dine, as well as rules to wear a mask outdoors by the pool, with the updates appearing to address some of these concerns.
In contrast to this ongoing significant progress in the USA, Australian cruising continues to wallow in the dark with no guidance or updates being provided by the Federal Government regarding even domestic cruising and the government now stating that international travel will not start until 2022, with even when in 2022, not clear.
A report by John Alwyn-Jones, Cruise Editor.
