New Travel Rules: testing and seven day isolation

[Markanddonna]

Today, Biden is announcing new rules for COVID testing for international travelers. How will this affect those of us who disembark from a cruise that traveled to other countries (pretty much all cruises)?  The news doesn't mention passengers on cruises, but those traveling by air.  Are cruisers exempt?

 

The components include:

• Requiring travelers entering the country by air to test negative for COVID within a day of departure, regardless of vaccination status or nationality, instead of within three days.
• Extending through March 18 the requirement that masks be worn on airplanes, trains and public transportation.
• Requiring private health insurance companies cover 100% of the cost of at-home tests for the coronavirus.  
• Launching a public education campaign to encourage 100 million adults to get boosters, with a special focus on seniors.

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

Today, Biden is announcing new rules for COVID testing for international travelers. How will this affect those of us who disembark from a cruise that traveled to other countries (pretty much all cruises)?  The news doesn't mention passengers on cruises, but those traveling by air.  Are cruisers exempt?

 

The components include:

• Requiring travelers entering the country by air to test negative for COVID within a day of departure, regardless of vaccination status or nationality, instead of within three days.
• Extending through March 18 the requirement that masks be worn on airplanes, trains and public transportation.
• Requiring private health insurance companies cover 100% of the cost of at-home tests for the coronavirus.  
• Launching a public education campaign to encourage 100 million adults to get boosters, with a special focus on seniors.

AFAIK, it really shouldn’t matter since O provides necessary pre-embarkation testing.

Read the O SailSafe FAQs 11/24/21.

[Markanddonna]

Is O referring to Oceania?  I guess we will need a few days for clarification for all cruising.

[njhorseman]

35 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

Is O referring to Oceania?  I guess we will need a few days for clarification for all cruising.

You included "seven day Isolation" in your thread title, but nothing  in the unsourced material you apparently quoted says that .

We need to wait for formal publication of the rules, not just for cruising, but also for air travel.

[Markanddonna]

The seven days isolation was in the initial release. There was quite an outcry over this contrasting virtually no rules on the southern borders. 

[Alekezam]

What's been officially stated now is all international departures coming to the US require a test no older than 24 hrs prior to departure......

 

Before they were talking about air travel now the statement has been generalized....which leads one to believe it applies to cruising as well. I hope this isn't the case cause we just booked a cruise a few days ago for January. Either way, I hope they either come up with an easy solution for cruisers at minimal extra cost or a waiver is put into place that excludes cruise passengers....

Edited December 2, 2021 by Alekezam
Grammar

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, Alekezam said:

What's been officially stated now is all international departures coming to the US require a test no older than 24 hrs prior to departure......

 

Before they were talking about air travel now the statement has been generalized....which leads one to believe it applies to cruising as well. I hope this isn't the case cause we just booked a cruise a few days ago for January. Either way, I hope they either come up with an easy solution for cruisers at minimal extra cost or a waiver is put into place that excludes cruise passengers....

Not sure I agree with that interpretation. Per this article it is for international flights:

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/new-us-travel-rules-omicron-what-to-know/index.html

"All flights departing after 12:01 a.m. ET December 6 will abide by a new CDC testing order, per an administration official."

We'll know the exact rules very soon.

[evandbob]

4 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

The seven days isolation was in the initial release. There was quite an outcry over this contrasting virtually no rules on the southern borders. 

from the mods - 

 

By LauraS
06/21/2021

Effective immediately, COVID-related discussion should be limited to actual policy on board ships (and other forms of travel) and its practical application.  Discussion should NOT veer into opinion or debate.

 

[ldubs]

9 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

AFAIK, it really shouldn’t matter since O provides necessary pre-embarkation testing.

Read the O SailSafe FAQs 11/24/21.

 

Do you mean necessary testing at disembarkation so folks returning to the US by air will have the needed test?   If not, I'm betting that Oceana does that too.   The Celebrity cruise we have booked does that.  But, it is only useful if we are flying within 24 hours of disembarkation.  If we plan to stay for a couple of days the test won't do us much good.   

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 minute ago, ldubs said:

 

Do you mean necessary testing at disembarkation so folks returning to the US by air will have the needed test?   If not, I'm betting that Oceana does that too.   The Celebrity cruise we have booked does that.  But, it is only useful if we are flying within 24 hours of disembarkation.  If we plan to stay for a couple of days the test won't do us much good.   

Yes - thanks! I meant disembarkation. And you are correct about extra land days then  meaning an additional test (at least if those days are in a foreign land).

What remains to be seen is what happens if you arrive “home” to US by ship (Covid test in hand) but then spend a few days in that port before flying “domestically.” elsewhere in the US).

[Alekezam]

13 hours ago, njhorseman said:

Not sure I agree with that interpretation. Per this article it is for international flights:

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/new-us-travel-rules-omicron-what-to-know/index.html

"All flights departing after 12:01 a.m. ET December 6 will abide by a new CDC testing order, per an administration official."

We'll know the exact rules very soon.

Okay, based on the CNN's article and what it has linked to the CDC's latest announcement I agree with you. 

 

I sure hope it ends up being limited to air travel..... 

 

 

[njhorseman]

5 hours ago, Alekezam said:

Okay, based on the CNN's article and what it has linked to the CDC's latest announcement I agree with you. 

 

I sure hope it ends up being limited to air travel..... 

 

 

The new rule has been published . 

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

Per the FAQs, it applies to international air travel only:

"No, the requirements of this Order only apply to air travel into the U.S."

[Alekezam]

4 hours ago, njhorseman said:

The new rule has been published . 

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

Per the FAQs, it applies to international air travel only:

"No, the requirements of this Order only apply to air travel into the U.S."

Awesome, this is good news if at least for the time being. 

 

We cruise at the end of January, let's hope the situation gets better and not worse. 

 

 

[slidergirl]

2 hours ago, Alekezam said:

Awesome, this is good news if at least for the time being. 

 

We cruise at the end of January, let's hope the situation gets better and not worse. 

 

 

Give it time.  Sooner or later someone will realize cruisers are going to other countries and returning... right now governments are just trying to slow the flow and flights are always the first to be regulated.

[Alekezam]

13 hours ago, slidergirl said:

Give it time.  Sooner or later someone will realize cruisers are going to other countries and returning... right now governments are just trying to slow the flow and flights are always the first to be regulated.

It didn't take very long. There's already a few popular travel websites (one in particular that I'm not going to name) that are titling articles on this very subject with the word "loophole".  Sigh....

 

It's pretty annoying how some of these so-called resources for travelers will put out articles that are counter productive to their own readers (travelers) just to gain more exposure.