U.S. CDC Says Avoid Traveling On Cruise Ships As COVID-19 Cases Surge

  • The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said people should avoid traveling on cruise ships regardless of their vaccination status, as daily COVID-19 cases in the country climb to record highs due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant. 
  • The move delivers another blow to an industry that just started returning to the seas in June after a months-long suspension of voyages caused by the pandemic. 
  • The CDC raised its COVID-19 travel health notice level for cruise ships to four - its highest warning level - from three, citing reports of COVID-19 outbreaks on cruises. 
  • The health agency has investigated or started an investigation into COVID-19 cases on more than 90 ships. "Even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants," the CDC said on Thursday. 
  • This warning by the CDC is likely to have adverse effects on the Jamaican Tourism Industry in the near term by weighing on visitor arrivals given that the U.S is our major source market for tourists. This also has the ability to lengthen the industry’s recovery time as we seek to return to pre-pandemic levels of tourism activity.

(Sources: Reuters and NCBCM Research)