The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is casting off a program that allowed the public to view COVID-19 levels on cruise ships.
The CDC said it is getting rid of the color-coded dashboard because scientists “have determined that the cruise industry has access to the necessary tools (e.g., cruise-specific recommendations and guidance, vaccinations, testing instruments, treatment modalities and non-pharmaceutical interventions) to prevent and mitigate COVID-19 on board.”
The voluntary program, which ended Monday, provided color-coded ratings based on the number of reported cases on a ship. Now, passengers will have to contact cruise companies directly for the information.
“CDC’s COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships is no longer in effect and this page will no longer be updated,” the CDC website says. “New guidance for cruise ships to mitigate and manage COVID-19 transmission will be available in the coming days.”
The CDC also said screening standards differed among cruise lines, making results inconsistent.
Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Lines require all passengers 12 years old and older to be fully vaccinated at least two weeks before boarding, according to ABC News.
Carnival Cruise Lines looks for vaccination but allows exceptions for unvaccinated persons who can show a negative PCR virus test 24 to 72 hours before the sailing date.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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