CDC: Negative COVID-19 test required for air passengers to enter and leave the US

[hcat]

Effective January 26th according to local Fla  online.news reports

 

.  This will impede Cruising re start...but eventually vaccines may be required rather than neg  tests.

 

Hope not a dup thread...

Edited January 13, 2021 by hcat
Typo

[mom says]

Well, there is no cruising to impede for quite a few months yet, by the look of things.  And do you think something like a pre arrival negative COVID test would be a major deterrent for anyone determined to cruise this year? What's one more q tip up the nose?

 

Seriously, I doubt that cruising was even a consideration when this rule was made. And the news items I've seen only mention the test requirement for arriving pax, not departing. Although departing pax may need one too, but dependant on the requirements of their arrival country.

Edited January 13, 2021 by mom says

[paulh84]

Long overdue. It’s only for arrivals, not departure (unless your destination requires a test, of course). Since non-US and non-permanent citizens from Europe/UK/etc already can’t enter the US via air anyway, I don’t see this having any major lingering impact on cruises. Cruising from the US is several months away at best on top of that. 

[HHI Cruiser1]

With the recently announced CDC requirement that negative COVID tests are required PRIOR to boarding an international flight into any US airport (otherwise will not be allowed to board flight), directly impact cruises returning to US ports?  I can't see how this new CDC rule wouldn't be applied to any cruise which visits a foreign port.   Will cruise line provide onboard COVID testing for everyone including providing timely results before return disembark?

 

I hope that this will not be another blow to the cruise industry as we have a cruise booked later this year.

[marieps]

Here's the link and FAQ:

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html

[sydbarrett]

This rule came into effect in Canada last week as well, even for Canadians returning home from vacation (where they shouldn't have been in the first place 🙂 ). It sounds like the cruise lines plan to test before and during the cruise so that will actually be very convenient if they use the same test required.

Edited January 13, 2021 by sydbarrett

[RickT]

IMHO this makes travel safer for everyone.  The sooner we make travel safer the better.  I don’t know the instances of people flying domestically but assuming there have been a number of Covid positive cases I’d been fine if a negative test was required for a domestic flight as well.

[CruiserBruce]

Who knows? No actual functioning crystal ball around here...but, obviously the cruise lines would have to provide the test if it were required.

[navybankerteacher]

I think it may be an academic question.  Why would testing passengers be necessary prior to leaving the ship  if they all had to have been immunized prior to boarding - and, more important, is cruising likely to happen at all while COVID remains a threat?

[Jeremiah1212]

Hopefully this will stymie the number of Americans vacationing to places like Mexico that have very loose restrictions. I looked at a few of the fan pages of some Mexican AI resorts and the response was predictable. Previously it was always ‘contracting COVID is a risk you take...don’t live in fear!’ Now they are panicking about not being able to get a test, or testing positive and being stuck in Mexico. Wouldn’t that be ‘a risk you take’? Odd train of thought. However I would agree that this will have negligible impact on cruises.

[TeeRick]

Since there are so many COVID cases across the US already, the only thing this rule really prevents IMO is the introduction of more of the variant strains like the ones from the UK, S. Africa and Brazil which are now in other countries.  But that horse has already the barn.  The UK strain is in the US already.  Hopefully it responds to one of the approved vaccines.

[Hlitner]

It would seem pretty obvious that cruises will either need to adopt a 100% vaccination policy (all souls onboard must show proof of COVID vaccination) and/or there will be mandatory PCR testing requirements.  This latter will supposedly go into effect on Jan 26, 2021, when the CDC sill likely mandate PCR testing within 72 hours of anyone returning to the USA on a commercial flight.  One expects that there would be a similar mandate for anyone returning to the USA on a cruise.  

 

What will cruise lines do?  Our own belief is that they will mandate 100% vaccinations.  They may also provide PCR testing onboard ships but passengers would need to pay for the tests.  Here in Mexico (where we currently are in residence) the cost of a PCR test varies between $125 - $250 per person. If cruise lines establish testing facilities on their ships (which may well be a CDC requirement) you can be sure the cost of testing will not be inexpensive.   I would not be shocked if cruise lines sell PCR testing as just one more "excursion" with big mark-ups.

 

Hank 

[phoenix_dream]

The recent announcement of the US requiring negative Covid-19 tests to enter raises some real questions about how the cruise lines will handle this, presuming it is still in effect when sailings start out of the US. The news I read talks about via air, but I can't imagine it might not apply to by sea as well.,   It seems to me it would require every passenger to get a test onboard soon before disembarking.  That would be a major task for the cruise lines to accomplish.  And once they get the test, are they then required to not leave the ship until they disembark for fear of catching the virus on shore somewhere?  Could really impact the sailings with port stops within a day or two of disembarkation.  Also, what if you test positive?  (even if it is a false positive, which could certainly happen given the sheer number of passengers) Thoughts?

[Miaminice]

Not much to wonder or speculate about...
This is how the cruiselines already sailing have done it for months.
Either rapid test upon embarkation (MSC) or PCR test not older than 72 hours (TUI) etc.

 

The guidelines for leaving the ship are also the same - touring with the cruise line only.

[kebrown]

This really bothers me.  If this requirement remains in place, I will not be doing any international traveling anymore.  And I am afraid that it will effectively kill the cruise industry.  I have a Japan cruise scheduled for next year on the Solstice and if this requirement is still in place by then, I will cancel my cruise.

[Roz]

Would a cruise ship be able to have the facilities to test thousands of passenger and get results back prior to disembarkation?  Would the cruise lines have to hire additional medical personnel to administer tests and process them?  I don't see how this is doable or remotely cost effective.

 

If passengers test positive, what will be done with them?  Will they put back out at sea to get sicker or die?

Edited January 13, 2021 by Roz

[SeaHunt]

2 hours ago, TeeRick said:

 The UK strain is in the US already. 

 

Yep, already 22 in our state (FL). 😉

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions says Florida has at least 22 cases of the UK COVID variant in the state.

[HaveWeMetYet]

Just now, Miaminice said:

Not much to wonder or speculate about...
This is how the cruiselines already sailing have done it for months.
Either rapid test upon embarkation (MSC) or PCR test not older than 72 hours (TUI) etc.

 

The guidelines for leaving the ship are also the same - touring with the cruise line only.

This is not about embarkation.

It is about disembarkation.

The concerns are testing positive and not be allowed to board a flight

Where are you taken to?

How many negative test are required if your first one is positive.

A major headache for cruise lines if this is also required of them.

Also, will a negative test be required for each port? What if Canada wants one within 72 hours of arriving at a port but your departure from the US was more than 3 days ago.

 

I will not be planning any travel until all this gets sorted out.

[kebrown]

In my opinion, this is going to kill the cruise industry.  If this requirement is still in place next year, I am cancelling my Japan cruise and will not do any international travel until this changes.

[Jeremiah1212]

4 minutes ago, HaveWeMetYet said:

This is not about embarkation.

It is about disembarkation.

The concerns are testing positive and not be allowed to board a flight

Where are you taken to?

How many negative test are required if your first one is positive.

A major headache for cruise lines if this is also required of them.

Also, will a negative test be required for each port? What if Canada wants one within 72 hours of arriving at a port but your departure from the US was more than 3 days ago.

 

I will not be planning any travel until all this gets sorted out.

 

That's the risk you would assume by choosing to travel during a pandemic. 

 

There are detailed testing plans and protocols outlined by the CDC for US cruises. Other countries will have their own requirements. Further, I presume many cruise lines will continue to implement their own protocols even as governments loosen up in the future.

[Fouremco]

39 minutes ago, kebrown said:

In my opinion, this is going to kill the cruise industry.  If this requirement is still in place next year, I am cancelling my Japan cruise and will not do any international travel until this changes.

To the contrary, I believe that steps like this will help save the cruise and travel industries in the long run.

[sydbarrett]

56 minutes ago, kebrown said:

In my opinion, this is going to kill the cruise industry.  If this requirement is still in place next year, I am cancelling my Japan cruise and will not do any international travel until this changes.

I think this is the new normal for a while, but it will likely be more convenient in the future. I hope it is a service offered at airports, even if you have to pay a fee. After being locked down for 1-2 years I'm sure a great many of us will gladly be poked and prodded in order to travel 🙂  I definitely see your concern, however. I probably won't leave either if there is a risk of not being allowed back home. I won't travel unvaccinated so I'm not sure how that will come in to play.

Edited January 13, 2021 by sydbarrett

[cgolf1]

This won't be a permanent restriction, only as long as we are concerned about Covid. Once it is under control or if we get lucky and it eventually mutates to a weaker strain this can be lifted. This is a good thing to limit the spread, to be honest would be ok if this was applied to all flights.

[evandbob]

Present COVID vaccinations do not provide 100% immunity from COVID and may only slow down transmission rates. From the CDC website:

 

• Based on what we know about vaccines for other diseases and early data from clinical trials, experts believe that getting a COVID-19 vaccine may also help keep you from getting seriously ill even if you do get COVID-19.
• Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, particularly people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
• Experts continue to conduct more studies about the effect of COVID-19 vaccination on severity of illness from COVID-19, as well as its ability to keep people from spreading the virus that causes COVID-19.

Notice the use of the words "believe" instead of proven, and "may" instead of shall.  Also, "more studies are needed".

 

I will be getting vaxxed as soon as Operation Molasses Drip allows, but I realize it is not a bulletproof answer and that protective measures should continue afterwards. A vaxxed person can get a milder form of COVID, may still be a carrier, and may still transmit the virus to others.

 

So if you are vaxxd, it's possible to pick up the virus in the cruise terminal, on the ship, in port, etc. though in a milder form.

Edited January 13, 2021 by evandbob

[Roz]

No vaccine provides 100% immunity.