
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday lowered the level of its travel health notice for cruise ships from "Level 4: Very High" to "Level 3: High."
On its website, the CDC says this travel notice is specifically for travelers who are not fully vaccinated and that it recommends that travelers who aren’t fully vaccinated avoid travel on all cruise ships.
They note that since the coronavirus spreads easier between people who are in close quarters aboard ships, the chance of getting it on one is high.
“It is especially important that people who are not fully vaccinated with an increased risk of severe illness avoid travel on cruise ships, including river cruises,” says the CDC.
It also advises that people who decide to go on a cruise should get tested one to three days before their trip and three to five days after. People who are not fully vaccinated should also self-quarantine for seven days after travel, even if they test negative. Those who do not get tested should self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.
Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, says that the CDC easing this travel warning reflects the country’s current situation.
“I think they can do that because enough people have been vaccinated and cases are low enough right now that that lowers the overall risk,” she told CNN.
However, Marr who also studies the airborne transmission of Covid-19 gave an emphatic “no” when asked whether she’d recommend unvaccinated people go on cruises right now.