She also said someone may have tested negative when they got onboard initially but still may have already been exposed. But, she said, the Princess crew was prompt in arranging a well-appointed quarantine cabin with a balcony on the 12th deck, where others were also separately quarantined.Īs for how the virus could have spread onboard, Tessina said there were stops along the way where groups disembarked to enjoy dinner out and other land-based activities before getting back on the ship. Long Beach resident Tina Tessina and her husband, Richard, were also on the Grand Princess Hawaii voyage and tested positive. “All the way down the chain, things should have been done.”Ī spokeswoman for Princess Cruises said ships continue operating in accordance with the CDC guidelines and were not at liberty to disclose case counts.

“It’s certainly my choice to go cruising and I realize the risk involved, but it still seemed like there was a blatant lack of concern,” she said, adding that masking on board was practiced loosely. She tested positive after she returned home. “We hadn’t checked the CDC Dashboard before our cruise or we probably would have canceled,” she said. Kathy Julian of Ventura, one of the passengers on board the Grand Princess for the trip to Hawaii, said she and her travel mates only learned later that the ship had already been put into the liner’s orange category. Most of the cruises are categorized as “highly vaccinated” by the CDC’s classification, meaning more than 95% of the passengers are vaccinated, with crew vaccination rates at 100%. “COVID-19, like other illnesses, can spread quickly in group settings like cruise ships because of close indoor proximity and extensive social interactions among passengers on board.” “Cruise travel is not a zero-risk activity,” said the CDC’s Spinelli in a written comment. The CDC dropped its COVID-19 risk advisory for cruise ship travel in March, but still urges passengers to determine their own health risks before taking a cruise. The industry is seen as one that will be increasingly important locally, with each ship call bringing in more than $1 million in economic activity, according to the Port of L.A.Ĭruises out of the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach resumed last summer with a set of protocols and vaccine requirements. The news follows the much-anticipated resumption of cruising after the industry was shut down for 15 months during the pandemic.Īt the Port of Los Angeles, an expected 200 sailings are scheduled throughout 2022, the most since 2008. The two ships are among 53 cruise ships currently sailing under the CDC’s “orange” category - which means 0.3% of passengers and/or crew members have tested positive. She urged people to practice prevention strategies, including getting vaccinated and boosted when eligible, wearing well-fitting masks where crowds gather indoors, and staying home and getting tested if having symptoms.ĬBS News reported on Wednesday, April 26, that the Ruby Princess docked at the Port of San Francisco after a trip to Hawaii with 143 passengers who had tested positive, according to information provided by that city’s health department to the news outlet.Įarlier this month, the Grand Princess returned to the Port of Los Angeles from a Hawaii trip with passengers who also tested positive. As of now, no protocols regarding cruise ships are set to change, but we continue to watch the situation closely.” “We are concerned about every COVID-19 case in the city, including those on area cruise ships.

“Right now cases continue to be relatively low but are rising,” Davis said in a written statement. Anissa Davis, Long Beach’s city health officer, said that while she’s keeping a close eye on cases, protocols regarding cruise ships don’t appear set to change. A robust 2022 cruise schedule remains unchanged at the Port of Los Angeles, a port spokesman said.ĭr.

Covid on cruise ships 2022