LOS ANGELES (KNX) — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory on Thursday warning Americans to steer clear of cruise ships amid the rapid spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
The CDC expanded its advisory to apply to fully vaccinated travelers as well.
“The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads easily between people in close quarters on board ships,” the agency said in its alert. “Even if you are fully vaccinated and have received a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose” traveling aboard a ship at this time would not be advisable, officials said.
For those still set on cruising in the near future, the CDC recommends all travelers be fully vaccinated and boosted against the virus, and wear a mask while aboard in “shared spaces.”
The agency additionally warned that “foreign health officials may implement formal quarantine procedures if they identify a case of COVID-19 aboard your cruise ship,” and that “some countries might refuse to dock your ship or allow passengers to disembark.”
After 21 crew members aboard a cruise ship in the Pacific tested positive for COVID-19 last week, more than a thousand passengers were stranded aboard the ship off the coast of Puerto Vallarta when Mexican officials refused to allow the ship to dock.
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