The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating almost 70 cruise ships following COVID-19 outbreaks aboard the vessels, according to the agency’s update on Monday. According to the agency’s website, 68 ships have either met the agency’s “investigation threshold” of crew or passengers COVID-19 outbreaks, or a health department has alerted the agency of positive COVID-19 passengers who disembarked within five days.
The CDC is currently investigating 36 ships while it has already investigated an additional 32 ships, but these vessels remain “under observation.”
Impacted ships come from cruise lines including Disney, MSC Cruises, Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity.
This update comes as COVID-19 cases continue to spike amid the spread of the Omicron variant. This has caused some ships to be barred from passenger disembarkation or ports of call, and three major cruise lines to enforce stricter masking mandates.
Source: Brittany Chang on the Insider (link)
