RELATED: Dr. Fauci Thinks These 3 Places Will Mandate Vaccines. Carnival Cruise Line announced on June 7 that it will resume guest operations for two ships that depart from the Port of Galveston in Texas: Carnival Vista on July 3 and Carnival Breeze on July 15. However, only fully vaccinated individuals will be permitted to book these cruises. According to Carnival Cruise Line, this means guests will have had to receive their final dose of a COVID vaccine that’s approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at least 14 days prior to the beginning of the cruise and have proof of vaccination. That means, no unvaccinated people are welcome aboard. “We appreciate the progress and support for our U.S. restart from the CDC and other key federal agencies; however, the current CDC requirements for cruising with a guest base that is unvaccinated will make it very difficult to deliver the experience our guests expect, especially given the large number of families with younger children who sail with us,” Christine Duffy, the president of Carnival Cruise Line, said in a statement. “As a result, our alternative is to operate our ships from the U.S. during the month of July with vaccinated guests.” RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. On March 14, 2020, the CDC placed a no-sail order on cruise lines operating from U.S. ports due to the heightened risk of ships spreading the coronavirus. Early on in the pandemic, cruises quickly proved to be a massive hub for virus transmission. One of the first and largest COVID outbreaks occurred aboard the Diamond Princess—a British-registered cruise ship where more than 700 people aboard contracted the virus, forcing passengers and crew to quarantine on the ship for an entire month. As a result, passenger-based cruises have been suspended in the U.S. for more than a year. But on May 6, the CDC revised its requirements and guidelines for U.S. cruise ships. The agency lifted most restrictions for ships where the large majority of both passengers and crew members are fully vaccinated.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb “For ships with at least 95 percent of crew and 95 percent of passengers fully vaccinated, cruise ship operators, at their discretion, may advise passengers and crew that they do not have to wear a mask or maintain physical distance in any areas,” the CDC states. Meanwhile, passengers aboard planes, trains, buses, subways, and other modes of transportation are still required to wear masks. Carnival also said they’re hoping to resume operations for Carnival Horizon from PortMiami in July, but the company is still working with the state of Florida and the CDC on plans for the return of that ship. Carnival said it will also be “advising guests and travel advisors about its plans for August sailings over the coming days.” RELATED: The CDC Says This One Thing Is Most Likely to Cause COVID After Vaccination.
