Purpose

This document provides instructions for cruise lines operating foreign-flagged cruise ships in U.S. waters that have chosen to opt in to CDC’s COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships. For the purposes of this program, cruise ships are defined as all commercial, non-cargo, foreign-flagged, passenger-carrying vessels subject to the jurisdiction of the United States with the capacity to carry 250 or more individuals (passengers and crew) with an itinerary anticipating an overnight stay on board or a twenty-four (24) hour stay on board for either passengers or crew. This program is designed to ensure health and safety protections for travelers (crew and passengers) in a way that mitigates the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Cruise lines choosing to opt into this program on a voluntary basis will be required to follow all recommendations and guidance as a condition of their participation in the program (i.e., they will not be able to choose which recommendations to follow). These recommendations are aimed at reducing the introduction and spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, on board cruise ships and are aligned with current health and safety protocols. This guidance will be reevaluated periodically based on public health conditions and available scientific evidence and updated as needed.

These instructions reflect CDC’s reasoned judgement based on the best available current science regarding the subject areas covered in the document. Cruise ship operators should carefully consider and incorporate these instructions in developing their own health and safety protocols.

CDC will update these instructions for cruise ships as needed to reflect the state of the pandemic and notify cruise lines when these instructions are updated.

Entire content available on: https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/management/technical-instructions-for-cruise-ships.html