U.S. State Department Warns Americans Against Traveling on Cruise Ships

Posted on March 8, 2020

The U.S. State Department is warning Americans not to travel on cruise ships. This is because there have been ongoing incidents with cruise ships and the coronavrius. A couple examples are the Diamond Princess and Grand Princess cruise ships where there were many people infected.

The warning posted on travel.state.gov also notes that some countries are denying port entry to cruise ships.

U.S. citizens, particularly travelers with underlying health conditions, should not travel by cruise ship. CDC notes increased risk of infection of COVID-19 in a cruise ship environment. In order to curb the spread of COVID-19, many countries have implemented strict screening procedures that have denied port entry rights to ships and prevented passengers from disembarking. In some cases, local authorities have permitted disembarkation but subjected passengers to local quarantine procedures. While the U.S. government has evacuated some cruise ship passengers in recent weeks, repatriation flights should not be relied upon as an option for U.S. citizens under the potential risk of quarantine by local authorities.
The advisory also notes that older adults and people with underlying health issues should also avoid crowded places and long plane trips.
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