Carnival Cruise Line Updates Mask Policy Amid the Spike in Omicron Cases

Carnival Cruise Line announced its mask policy updates on Friday. The new mask policy will apply on sailings through January 31 as the omicron cases spread worldwide.

All passengers 2 years old and above are “requested” to wear their masks in indoor public spaces except when they are eating, drinking, or in their rooms. The cruise line also requested their passengers to wear masks whenever they are in large gatherings outdoors without physical distancing. Plus, Carnival requested passengers to follow local guidelines when they are onshore.

On its website, Carnival said that “All guests must wear masks during the entire embarkation and debarkation process (at home port and ports of call, including the onboard pre-debarkation process), during any Carnival-approved shore excursions and while on any transportation vehicles, including water shuttles”.

Norwegian and Royal Caribbean Imposed Stricter Mask Policy

Both Norwegian and Royal Caribbean already announced stricter mask protocols on their cruise ships. For Norwegian, passengers they will have to wear masks indoors except when they are eating or in their rooms. In addition to this, Norwegian asked passengers to wear masks outdoors where social distancing is not possible. And also, the cruise line requests passengers to comply with local regulations.

Royal Caribbean, on the other hand, will have a stricter mask policy starting January 5. Royal Caribbean, in a statement, said that “With the recent uptick of COVID-19 in the world and added omicron variant concerns, we feel it prudent to temporarily tighten our onboard health protocols to require masks indoors at all times, unless actively eating or drinking”. The cruise line also added that this update is also applicable to “vaccinated areas and venues”.

Passengers Testing Positive on Cruise Ships

48 passengers and crew members aboard the Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas cruise ship tested positive on Saturday. The cases happened despite the vaccine requirement aboard the ship.

Norwegian, on the other hand, also had its share of COVID19 cases within the last month. At least 10 passengers and crew members tested positive on the Norwegian Breakaway that departed New Orleans on November 28.