On Thursday (30 December), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised its travel warning for cruise to its highest level – level four. It is currently monitoring more than 90 ships for incidence of Covid-19.

However, Clia has reiterated its belief that cruising during the Covid crisis is safe, and stressed its members would continue to work closely with CDC to uphold high standards of public health and safety.

"The decision by the CDC to raise the travel level for cruise is particularly perplexing considering cases identified on cruise ships consistently make up a very slim minority of the total population onboard – far fewer than on land – and the majority of those cases are asymptomatic or mild in nature, posing little to no burden on medical resources onboard or onshore," said the association," said the association in a statement.

It continued: "No setting can be immune from this virus – however, it is also the case that cruise provides one of the highest levels of demonstrated mitigation against the virus. Cruise ships offer a highly controlled environment with science-backed measures, known testing and vaccination levels far above other venues or modes of transportation and travel, and significantly lower incidence rates than land.

"While we are disappointed and disagree with the decision to single out the cruise industry – an industry that continues to go above and beyond compared to other sectors – Clia and our ocean-going cruise line members remain committed to working collaboratively with the CDC in the interest of public health and safety."