Cruise ships no longer have to abide by CDC safety standards for COVID-19

Cruise lines will not be obliged to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of Saturday despite the omicron surge.

The CDC’s Conditional Sailing Order, a set of health and safety rules that cruise companies have had to abide by since October 2020, expired Saturday. The agency will “transition to a voluntary program, in coordination with the cruise ship operators and other stakeholders, to assist the cruise industry to detect, mitigate, and control the spread of COVID-19 onboard cruise ships.”