No less than four ocean-going cruise ships were turned away from their ports of call or prohibited from letting passengers disembark in the Americas at the end of December because of COVID-19 cases aboard. Though other cruises have had cases since US-based ships resumed service this summer with vaccine requirements and other measures meant to minimize outbreaks, the number of cruises forced to alter their itineraries has increased. These disruptions are a far cry from March of 2020 when the coronavirus shut down the entire industry and resulted in many weeks of Herculean efforts to get passengers and crew home as most ports closed to virus-hit vessels. Nevertheless, the recent turmoil occurred amid global concern about the highly transmissible Omicron variant and the increase in cases of the virus reported in the US and elsewhere.
Mexican officials prevented the Holland America liner Koningsdam from letting its passengers disembark in Puerto Vallarta two days before Christmas after twenty-one crew members tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Jalisco State Health Department. A "small number of fully vaccinated crew" tested positive and all showed either mild or no symptoms, Holland America Line later informed CNN. Jalisco health authorities initially were going to allow people testing negative to disembark. However, they changed their minds, citing an "exponential growth of confirmed cases in the crew" by December 23. Only one crew member had tested positive less than a week earlier, the department said. The ship, which departed San Diego on December 19 with more than 1,000 passengers and more than 870 crew members, visited Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlán before it arrived in Puerto Vallarta. It was due to return to San Diego as scheduled on December 26. Holland America Line, like the other cruise companies mentioned in this post, requires passengers and crew to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with some exceptions for children.
Ports in the Caribbean Islands of Bonaire and Aruba turned away the Carnival Freedom last month, respectively, after "a small number" of people aboard tested positive for COVID-19, the cruise line said. However, the company lined up a replacement stop days later in the Dominican Republic. It was permitted to stop in Curacao the following week. Dr. Izzy Gerstenbluth, the National Epidemiologist for Curacao, said the ship alerted him before it arrived that crew members had tested positive. After he visited the ship and determined the cases were contained among the crew, Curacao allowed the vessel's passengers to leave the ship, with the crew remaining on board, he said. The Freedom returned to Miami as planned at the conclusion of the cruise. Passenger Jim Storupski told CNN affiliate WPLG his experience onboard was positive, adding the company was "very accommodating." His wife, Connie, also praised the company for its COVID-19 safety protocols and said they "had a good time." The couple indicated they plan to sail with Carnaval again in several weeks. Other passengers, however, reported a different experience. "It was horrible," Leah Murray told WPLG of her frustration over the COVID-19 cases aboard. "They didn't inform us of hardly anything. They let everybody go about their business." She said she felt the line was "very irresponsible" with COVID-19 protocols.
Two of the three aforementioned islands made the news again late last month when officials in Curacao and Aruba turned away the Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas after fifty-five fully vaccinated crew members and passengers contracted COVID-19, the Miami Herald disclosed. Curacao health officials decided the percentage of people aboard who tested positive was too high for the nation to allow the ship to dock, the Curacao Chronicle reported. The ship returned to Fort Lauderdale as planned at the end of the cruise. According to Royal Caribbean, the Odyssey of the Seas can accommodate up to 5,550 guests plus 1,600 crew members. It wasn't clear whether or not the ship was fully occupied during that particular cruise. Finally, Colombian officials prevented the Seven Seas Mariner from letting anyone disembark in Cartagena during the same time period, after seven positive COVID-19 cases, in six crew members and one passenger, were reported. The ship began an eighteen-day trip from Miami to San Francisco on December 18.
On December 29, Mexico had an official change of heart, announcing it will now permit docking of cruise ships carrying those infected with the coronavirus. Their health department said passengers or crew who show no symptoms will be allowed to come ashore normally, while those with symptoms or a positive virus test will be quarantined or given medical care. Mexico is one of the few nations in the world with no travel restrictions, no testing requirements and no mandatory wearing of face coverings for visitors. The government argues such measures would be counterproductive for the economy as tourism revenues account for approximately 8.5 per cent of GDP. Mexico has also paid a high price during the pandemic. The country has had about 460,000 deaths related to COVID-19 based on government reviews of death certificates over the past two years.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating or monitoring 94 cruise ships after reports of COVID-19 outbreaks on board, as the Omicron variant continues to spread in the US and around the globe. The ships being monitored include those operated by Disney, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. The CDC investigates a ship if there are one or more reported COVID-19 cases among the crew or if cases reported account for at least 0.10% of total passengers (or one person per thousand on the ship) in the prior week. According to the CDC, the agency works with the cruise ship to ensure medical resources on board aren’t overwhelmed, and to lower transmission rates. The ships being watched are operating under “health and safety protocols that align with CDC’s standards for protecting passengers, crew, port personnel, and communities by mitigating the public health risks posed by COVID-19,” the agency said.
As if things really couldn’t get much worse, on December 30 the CDC went even further, issuing a new advisory that travelers should avoid traveling by cruise ship altogether, regardless of vaccination status. "Even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants,” the CDC said on its Web site. "It is especially important that travelers who are at an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 avoid travel on cruise ships, including river cruises, worldwide, regardless of vaccination status," the agency added. The CDC advised that those who choose to travel on a cruise should get vaccinated against COVID-19 before their trip and, if eligible, receive a booster dose. In addition, masks should also be worn in shared spaces and passengers who are not fully vaccinated against COVID should self-quarantine for five days after travel, in addition to. getting tested three to five days after their return, the CDC said. In an email to National Public Radio, a spokesperson for the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said the trade group was "disappointed" by the CDC's latest advisory against cruise ship travel. "While we are disappointed and disagree with the decision to single out the cruise industry, an industry that continues to go above and beyond compared to other sectors, CLIA and our ocean-going cruise line members remain committed to working collaboratively with the CDC in the interest of public health and safety," the trade group said.
The seas certainly appear to be very rough for the cruise industry right now. Unfortunately, smooth sailing doesn’t yet appear to be on the horizon.
Until next time…safe travels.
Cruising gets a bruising from the CDC ... sadly for them, having so many people in such close proximity for a prolonged period does set them apart from other travel options, so they will come under closer scrutiny.