According to the U.S. Department of State, which Sunday afternoon issued a travel advisory against cruise travel, it's recommending that Americans, particularly those with existing health issues, avoid travel by cruise ship in light of an increased risk of infection of the COVID-19, also known as coronavirus.
In the statement, the advisory notes that cruise lines continue to face challenges. "Many countries have implemented strict screening procedures that have denied port entry rights to ships and prevented passengers from disembarking," the statement says. "In some cases, local authorities have permitted disembarkation but subjected passengers to local quarantine procedures. While the U.S. government has evacuated some cruise ship passengers in recent weeks, repatriation flights should not be relied upon as an option for U.S. citizens under the potential risk of quarantine by local authorities."
What's not divulged in the travel advisory, which some U.S. media outlets are erroneously calling a travel warning, is the level of severity of the advisory. The U.S. State Department has three different levels of advisories. These start at #1: "Exercise normal precautions; #2: "Exercise increased caution;" and #3: Reconsider travel."
The fourth, the only level of travel warning, simply states "Do not go." No travel warning has been issued for cruise travel.
We’ll keep you posted as changes occur in this extremely fluid situation.
