The U.S. Department of State Is Recommending That Citizens Not Take Cruises Due to Coronavirus

Just letting you know that the U.S. State Department put out a Tweet urging people, especially those with underlying health conditions, not to take cruises.

U.S. citizens, especially with underlying conditions, should not travel by cruise ship. #CDC notes increased risk of #COVID19 on cruises. Many countries have implemented screening procedures, denied port entry rights to ships and prevented disembarking. https://t.co/jh93gZTkpC pic.twitter.com/jI6S0UceVg

— Travel – State Dept (@TravelGov) March 8, 2020

The tweet says:

“U.S. citizens, especially with underlying conditions, should not travel by cruise ship. #CDC notes increased risk of #COVID19 on cruises. Many countries have implemented screening procedures, denied port entry rights to ships and prevented disembarking.“

Besides the health risks, you may not even be able to disembark from the ship during the cruise as a lot of countries are denying port entry rights. If you get sick you could end up quarantined on a cruise ship, in another country or at a government facility.

The U.S. State Department site also stated that “repatriation flights should not be relied upon as an option for U.S. citizens under the potential risk of quarantine by local authorities.”

They are especially concerned about high risk travelers which would be older adults or those with underlying health issues:

“CDC notes that older adults and travelers with underlying health issues should avoid situations that put them at increased risk for more severe disease.  This entails avoiding crowded places, avoiding non-essential travel such as long plane trips, and especially avoiding embarking on cruise ships.  Passengers with plans to travel by cruise ship should contact their cruise line companies directly for further information and continue to monitor the Travel.state.gov website and see the latest information from the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/index.htm”

They are saying that even taking long plane trips is not advised at this time.

Currently Port Canaveral is doing mandatory temperature screenings on individuals as soon as they enter the boarding terminals, but people can feel fine and still be contagious, until they don’t feel so fine.

Again, they are mostly concerned with those who are at higher risk, but as the CDC is stating keep up with the news and information. Take it into consideration when deciding your travel plans. I don’t think anyone wants to get stuck somewhere in quarantine.

What do you think? Comment and let us know.

Source: U.S. Department of State