The U.S. State Department recommended that U.S. citizens, particularly travelers with underlying health conditions, not travel by cruise ship, as concerns continue about the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.
"This is a fluid situation," the State Department said in a notice updated March 8.
"In order to curb the spread of Covid-19, many countries have implemented strict screening procedures that have denied port entry rights to ships and prevented passengers from disembarking," the notice said, adding that in some cases passengers had been subject to local quarantines. It said that repatriation flights "should not be relied upon as an option for U.S. citizens."
A cruise line executive said of the State
Department notice, “This is not helpful. This is not helping either side to get
to the goals we agreed upon on Saturday.”
The cruise line executive was referring to a meeting between cruise line CEOs, Vice President Mike Pence and a new coronavirus task force. During a news conference after the meeting, Pence said that they were
developing a plan to deal with coronavirus on cruises, including enhanced entry
and exit screening and onboard testing.
In a statement after the meeting with Pence, CLIA said the
industry has committed “to do even more to protect our guests, our crew and the
communities where we sail.”
“This includes more stringent boarding procedures, adding
additional onboard medical resources and temperature screenings at embarkation,”
CLIA said. “We will also develop industry-funded protocols to care for guests
on land in the event of an incident, to eliminate future incidents of onboard
quarantine.”
CLIA on Sunday expanded its guidelines
for cruisers, effective immediately. It denies boarding to passengers who have,
within the last 14 days, come from or transited through South Korea, China,
Iran and any area of Italy subject to lockdown. Cruise lines will conduct
illness screening at embarkation for passengers who have, within the last 14
days, come from or transited through any destinations listed on the U.S. CDC “Coronavirus
Disease 2019 Information for Travel” page.
Temperature screenings will be conducted for all passengers. Boarding will be
denied to anyone who has come into contact or helped care for a person
diagnosed with Covid-19 or are being monitored themselves for a suspected case.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. corporate reputation manager
Jonathon Fishman said in an email Sunday evening: “We are staying focused on
development of an aggressive, responsive plan as agreed to during the meeting
with Vice President Pence that goes beyond the already significantly enhanced
protocols in place, which we believe are a model for others.”
If Americans do choose to cruise, the State Department said that they should read its Traveler's Checklist and make sure to research the destination to learn about health and safety precautions, check the State Department's country information, and carry medical, emergency evacuation and other insurance to cover unexpected travel experiences when abroad. It also recommended having a plan to return home if passengers are removed from the ship and placed into quarantine.
It said that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "notes that older adults and travelers with underlying health issues should avoid situations that put them at increased risk for more severe disease. This entails avoiding crowded places, avoiding nonessential travel such as long plane trips and especially avoiding embarking on cruise ships."
The CDC had previously published a page on guidance for managing supsected coronavirus cases on a ship.