A total of 1,359 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported on cruise ships sailing from the United States between June 26 and October 21, based on the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Of the nearly 1,400 positive results, which include both passengers and crew members, 49 required hospitalization and 38 prompted medical evacuations. However, the total figure represents a tiny fraction of the passengers who set sail during the four-month period, with Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) estimating that as many as 600,000 passengers sailed from U.S. ports between June and October.
Cruise lines have resumed sailing amid the pandemic with strict protocols in place, including COVID-19 vaccine requirements, frequent testing and face mask policies. While the CDC points out that “ensuring passengers are uninfected at embarkation has proven difficult” it credits the industry’s elevated health and safety protocols for preventing major outbreaks of severe illness, noting that “high vaccination rates onboard these cruise ships likely explain why onboard medical center resources have not been overwhelmed.”
Last month, the CDC extended the conditional sailing order (CSO) “with minor modifications” until January 15, 2022, when it intends to transition to a voluntary program. “Cruise industry protocols are unique in their approach to monitor, detect, and respond to potential cases of COVID-19,” CLIA said in response to the CSO extension in October. “As a result, CLIA-member ocean-going cruise ships are sailing today with some of the highest levels of COVID-19 mitigation of any industry.”
On Thursday, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio called the number of cases being discovered on his company’s ships “inconsequential and well below what we all saw in the general population during this time.”
In a similar third quarter business update, Royal Caribbean confirmed that it has carried as many as a half a million passengers around the world since the end of June and has reported just 150 coronavirus cases at an encouraging rate of 0.03 percent.