CDC says cruises could resume by July for vaccinated Americans

US cruise ships could set sail again this summer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In a letter to cruise companies obtained by ABC News, the CDC said the voyages could begin again as early as July, as long as 98 per cent of the crew and 95 per cent of the passengers are vaccinated.

“We acknowledge that cruising will never be a zero-risk activity,” the CDC wrote, “and that the goal of the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order’s phased approach is to resume passenger operations in a way that mitigates the risk of COVID-19 transmission onboard cruise ships and across port communities.”

It’s been over a year since large cruises were allowed in US waters. In March 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic was beginning to affect the United States, the CDC banned cruise ships with more than 250 passengers. Some of the earliest Covid outbreaks occurred aboard cruise ships.

But in the past few months, the United States has made tremendous progress against the virus. New cases are averaging less than 52,000 per day, down from their January peak of about 260,000. More than half of all American adults have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine, and 39 per cent have been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Against this backdrop, the CDC has loosened a number of Covid precautions. Earlier this week, the agency said fully vaccinated people can take off their masks outdoors, as long as they avoid crowds.

The loosening of cruise restrictions comes as good news for states where the vacation vessels are a major source of business. Earlier this month, Florida sued the CDC to reopen the industry, and Alaska later joined the lawsuit.

“We have tens of thousands of Floridians – not just in this county alone but throughout the state – who depend on the viability of our cruise industry for their livelihoods, for their jobs, for their ability to feed their families,” Florida governor Ron DeSantis said on 8 April.

“Alaskan families and small businesses need fast action to protect their ability to work and provide for their families,” Alaska governor Mike Dunleavey added two weeks later. “We deserve the chance to have tourism and jobs.”