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☐ Defer travel while acutely ill. ☐ Evaluate the type and length of the planned cruise in the context of personal health requirements. ☐ Notify the cruise line of additional health needs (e.g., dialysis, supplemental oxygen, wheelchair). ☐ Pack Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)–registered insect repellent; consider treating clothes and gear with permethrin. Some cruise ship ports of call include destinations where vectorborne diseases (e.g., dengue, Japanese encephalitis, malaria, yellow fever, Zika) are known to be endemic. Zika was first reported in Brazil in 2015, and subsequently spread across the Caribbean and Latin America, sparking concern because of its association with microcephaly and other congenital abnormalities in the fetus.
California Department of Public Health COVID-19 Team
LGBTQI+ individuals engaging in public displays of affection may attract unwelcome attention or harassment. U.S. official, service, and diplomatic passport holders must obtain a Bulgarian visa prior to arrival. If you are traveling on a U.S. official, service, or diplomatic passport, you will not be allowed to enter Bulgaria without a visa. Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Bulgaria. ☐ Consider prescribing malaria chemoprophylaxis if itinerary includes stops in malaria-endemic areas. If you’re ready to set sail on the high seas, these are some great cruises to book right now.
Norwegian Cruise Line Unveils 2024 European Sailings
The CDC does require quarantine cabins to remain in a separate HVAC zone, and isolation cabins will still need to have negative air pressure. ► Cruise lines will no longer need the pre-approval from the CDC for diagnostic and screening tests. ► Cruise ship operators will be able to report if no cases were identified or testing was conducted through an online Enhanced Data Collection form. Cruise passengers will see a lot of changes on the ship due to the pandemic. "It is important to know that there is at least a two-day lag in the posting of an updated color status," the CDC's Daigle told USA TODAY. While the CDC said the rise in cases since the identification of the omicron variant prompted it to issue a level 4 warning about cruising on Thursday, the CDC long anticipated cases on board ships, in part because of the very nature of cruising.
Travel Tip
Although most port visits do not include overnight stays off ship, some trips offer travelers the opportunity to venture off the ship for ≥1 night. These excursions can complicate decisions about exposures and the need for specific antimicrobial prophylaxis, immunizations, and other prevention measures. Boxes 8-04 and 8-05 summarize recommended cruise travel preparations and healthy behaviors during travel for health care providers and cruise ship travelers. Some people (e.g., those with chronic health conditions or who are immunocompromised, older people, pregnant people) merit additional considerations when preparing for a cruise.
What are the new COVID-19 protocols?
► On vaccination standard of excellence ships, close contacts to people identified with COVID-19 must quarantine until at least five full days after their last exposure. On ships that do not meet the vaccination standard of excellence, close contacts must quarantine at least 10 days. Gray status means the ship's health and safety protocols have not been reviewed or confirmed by the CDC. Red status means there is "sustained transmission" of coronavirus or COVID-19-like illnesses on board or there is a potential for cases to "overwhelm" the ship's medical center. Orange status means the ship has reported cases among passengers and is being monitored but levels don't meet the threshold for CDC investigation.
MSC Cruises
The Diamond Princess and Grand Princess had more than 800 total COVID-19 cases, including 10 deaths. Cases linked with cruise travel have been reported to CDC in at least 15 states. Since February, multiple international cruises have been implicated in reports of COVID-19 cases, including at least 60 cases in the United States from Nile River cruises in Egypt (Figure 2). Secondary community-acquired cases linked to returned passengers on cruises have also been reported (CDC, unpublished data, 2020). Vaccines and precruise testing are generally not required to sail with Regent Seven Seas Cruises. There are some requirements in place based on local health regulations in a specific country a ship is visiting.
Sea Cloud Cruises
Spas and gyms remain open, but some cruise lines limit them to vaccinated guests. Most ships are sailing at less than full capacity, partly to encourage physical distancing. The Majestic Princess left on its maiden voyage from the Port of Los Angeles at about 60% capacity.
Just a few weeks in, passengers on this nine-month cruise have already endured a COVID outbreak, racial microaggressions, and an emergent class system - Boing Boing
Just a few weeks in, passengers on this nine-month cruise have already endured a COVID outbreak, racial microaggressions, and an emergent class system.
Posted: Sun, 31 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Precruise testing is no longer required for vaccinated guests sailing with Azamara, except in ports where testing is required. No vaccination is necessary for cruises departing from or returning to the United States or Europe. In Australia, all guests 12 years and older must be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before sailing with all required COVID-19 vaccine doses (including a booster shot). ☐ Carry prescription drugs in original containers with a copy of the prescription and a physician’s letter. ☐ Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Outbreak Updates for International Cruise Ships website for gastrointestinal outbreaks. ☐ Consider purchasing additional insurance coverage for overseas health care and medical evacuation.
Pride of America
Routine vaccinations protect you from infectious diseases that can spread quickly in groups of people. Outbreaks of chickenpox, influenza, and COVID-19 have been reported on cruise ships. Outbreaks of COVID-19 on cruise ships pose a risk for rapid spread of disease beyond the voyage. All persons should defer all cruise travel worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. David Daigle, a spokesperson for the CDC, told USA TODAY last Tuesday that the health agency acknowledges it is "not possible" for cruising to be a zero-risk activity amid the pandemic. A person's chance at contracting coronavirus is higher on cruise ships because the virus spreads more easily between people spending time in close quarters on the vessels.
But things are different this year, what with reduced restrictions on cruise ships and delayed or canceled flights across the country. Reducing regulations and restrictions regarding COVID-19 has been the cruise industry’s focus since the pandemic’s beginning. As arguably the hardest-hit industry in the tourism sector—cruise ship COVID-19 fears meant 81% fewer passengers embarked on a cruise in 2020 versus 2019—ships are more than ready to be back and sailing at full capacity.
Travelers worried about cruise ship COVID-19 cases, which continued to climb. By the summer of 2020, most cruise lines had suspended operations worldwide—and the entire travel industry came to a standstill. Since the cruise industry restarted operations in the United States this June, its efforts to keep the coronavirus at bay — or at least contained, unlike the major outbreaks experienced in 2020 — have been largely successful. Most cruise companies mandate full vaccinations for crew and most passengers, and have implemented strict health and safety protocols to swiftly identify coronavirus cases onboard and reduce their spread.
Cruise ships also have had to cancel stops recently at the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, and at San Juan, Puerto Rico, due to local worries about COVID-19-positive passengers and crew on board and/or tighter COVID-19-related entry requirements. Still, it's important to note that most of these "cases" of COVID-19 are asymptomatic or mild, only discovered during routine testing. While some ships only are testing passengers who report feeling ill for COVID-19 (and close contacts of those who subsequently test positive), other ships are testing every single passenger at least once per voyage, sometimes more.
While cruising is a popular way to travel, there are some health concerns to be aware of. Find out more about health issues on cruises and steps you can take to stay safe and healthy during your trip. Overall, 111 (25.9%) of 428 U.S. citizens and legal residents did not join repatriation flights either because they had been hospitalized in Japan or for other reasons. To mitigate SARS-CoV-2 importation into the United States, CDC used temporary “Do Not Board” restrictions (7) to prevent commercial airline travel to the United States,†† and the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security restricted travel to the United States for non-U.S. The CDC plans to reevaluate its guidance "based on public health conditions and available scientific evidence" by March 18 and update "as needed."
Visit the European Commission site for latest information on speed limits, traffic fines, and regulations. See our LGBTQI+ Travel Information page and section six of our Human Rights report for further details. However, LGBTQI+ individuals face cultural stigma and widespread discrimination.
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