The report was confirmed by several Caribbean ports that have refused to allow ships to reach their shores and for travelers to disembark.

On the subject, the shipping group Carnival Cruise implemented measures such as the mandatory use of masks and vaccination certificates, but the Omicron variant causes an increasing number of infections and the prohibition of disembarking in some ports in the region.

Carnival spokesman Roger Frizzell explained in an email that the health and safety protocols in place have proven effective time and time again over the last year, thus restarting travel across all of their brands.

Of the 86 cruise ships investigated by the United States’ national public health agency, Carnival was responsible for 32 cases, Royal Caribbean for 25 and Norwegian for 15.

CDC now also monitors four other ships operated by Disney Cruise Line, so the list is constantly changing, and the next stage for ships with outbreaks could involve taking additional public health measures.

Also Bari Golin-Blaugrund, spokesperson for the International Association of Cruise Lines, indicated that the health and safety of vacationers is the industry’s top priority right now, and that in fact cases occur less frequently in ships than on land, with a higher proportion of asymptomatic or mild cases.

ef/ale / crc