COVID-19 & Cruises: Miami-Based Carnival Cruise Line Implements Fleetwide Mask Policy
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Miami-based Carnival Cruise Line is among the latest companies to tighten COVID restrictions. All passengers, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear masks in certain indoor areas aboard ships.
Passengers will also have to undergo COVID-19 testing prior to their cruises.
The fleetwide policy was initiated after a "small number of positive cases" were detected aboard a Carnival ship, the cruise line said. However, the company did not say exactly how many positive cases had been detected aboard the Carnival Vista, which departed out of Galveston, Texas.
The new policy goes into effect for cruises departing on or after Saturday, August 7.
The cruise line will continue to operate vaccinated cruises as defined by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC requires 95% of both passengers and crew to be vaccinated. Carnival said its crew is fully vaccinated.
In addition to its new mask rule, Carnival is also adding a pre-cruise testing requirement for all vaccinated guests. Fully vaccinated guests must have a negative Covid-19 test result (PCR or antigen) taken within three days of departure.
That rule goes into effect on August 14. Both new requirements are slated to be in place through October 31.
