The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that it will stop monitoring COVID cases on cruise ships, ending its COVID-19 program with the industry.

The COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships was a voluntary program introduced to the cruise industry in early 2022. The program provided recommendations for ships to maintain COVID testing, vaccination requirements, and other safety measures to help prevent the spread of the virus.

Cruise lines that opted into the CDC’s program followed the recommendations from the agency.

In a statement on its website, the CDC said, “As of July 18, 2022, CDC’s COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships is no longer in effect. CDC will continue to publish guidance to help cruise ships continue to provide a safer and healthier environment for passengers, crew and communities going forward.”

The decision to end the COVID Program for Cruise Ships, according to the CDC, was based on cruise lines being able to “manage their own COVID-19 mitigation programs.” The CDC also said the program “depended upon each cruise line having the same COVID-19 screening testing standards, which may now vary among cruise lines.”

Additionally, the CDC said, “cruise travelers have access to recommendations that allow them to make informed decisions about cruise ship travel.”

However, cruise lines will keep reporting COVID cases to the CDC, but the agency will no longer provide its cruise tracking system to the public, which offered detailed information on COVID cases aboard specific ships.

Cruise travelers also “have the option of contacting their cruise line directly regarding outbreaks on board their ship,” the CDC said.

The agency did maintain that “cruising poses some risk of COVID-19 transmission,” adding that it will continue to publish guidance for the cruise industry.

The cruise industry has finally seen a resurgence in demand after temporarily shutting down operations back in March 2020 to help control and manage the spread of COVID-19. At the time, cruise ships were seen as “superspreaders” for the virus as cases escalated onboard.

Since that time, cruise ships began requiring the majority of their crew and passengers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, providing fully vaccinated sailings, in addition to requiring negative COVID tests prior to boarding.

Earlier in July, Norwegian Cruise Line removed its requirement for a COVID test prior to boarding its cruise ships. The cruise line does still require all passengers 12 and older to be vaccinated.

The rollback of the COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships was a welcomed change for the cruise industry as Anne Madison, a spokesperson for Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), told the Washington Post, “This is an important step forward in the CDC aligning the guidelines for cruise with those it has established for other travel, hospitality and entertainment sectors.”

The requirements for a "phased resumption" of cruise ship passenger operations were released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The requirements for a "phased resumption" of cruise ship passenger operations were released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention AFP / CHANDAN KHANNA
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