The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its COVID-19 guidance on cruise ships.
CDC currently currently has a no-sail order, set to expire on 24th July.
The update includes a new colour-coded system, plus instructions about the use of commercial transport for crew disembarkation.
Cruise ships are now assigned a ‘green’, ‘yellow’ or ‘red’ designation, which relates to the presence of COVID-19 on the ship. For example, ‘Green’ ships have had no confirmed COVID-19 cases or similar illnesses for 28 days; ‘yellow’ ships are awaiting test results; and ‘red’ ships have had confirmed or similar illnesses in the past 28 days.
Crew transfers and repatriation via commercial means are now only allowed on ‘green’ coded ships.
In detail the codes are:
‘Green’ –
• No confirmed COVID-19 cases or COVID-like illness for 28 days (per a medical professional).
• If there have been ship-to-ship transfers in the past 28 days, the previous ship must have no COVID-19 or similar illnesses the past 28 days prior to the transfer.
• Land-based crew who embarked must have quarantined for 14 days after board the ship.
• Ships have to send an enhanced data collection form to the CDC each week, or her status will turn to ‘red’.
‘Yellow’ –
• One or more COVID-like illnesses on the ship pending a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.
• Status changes to ‘red’ if the test comes back positive or to green if negative.
• Status also changes to ‘red’ if the crew hasn’t been tested, or if results aren’t ready within one week of a reported case.
• The ship will also change to a ‘red’ classification, if this isn’t the case – If there have been ship-to-ship transfers in the past 28 days, the previous ship must have had no COVID-19 or similar illnesses the past 28 days prior to transfer; and land-based crew who embarked must have quarantined for 14 days after getting on the ship.
‘Red’
• Either one or more cases of COVID-19 or COVID-like illnesses on board within the past 28 days.
• Or: was involved with ship-to-ship transfers from a vessel with cases of COVID-19 or COVID-like illnesses within the past 28 days.
• Or: Land-based crew embarked and weren’t quarantined for 14 days.
• Or: In the past 28 days the ship didn’t submit one or more enhanced data collection forms.
Each designation also means there are certain requirements and recommendations for asymptomatic crew members on board. For example, crew members on ‘green’ ships are recommended to stay in single-occupancy cabins with private bathrooms, while that is required on ‘yellow’ and ‘red’ ships.
The closure of all crew bars, gyms or other group settings is not required on ‘green’ ships, but it is the case on ‘yellow’ and ‘red’ ships. Handshaking is discouraged on all ships.
If a confirmed ‘green’ ship wishes to use commercial transport to disembark crew, it has to submit a plan to the CDC. In turn, the CDC will inform the ship if it has made ‘green’ clearance and will post a list of these ships on its website. Commercial travel won’t be allowed if the ship status changes to ‘yellow’ or ‘red’.
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