US to end COVID entry test for air travelers, no cruise change seen

This will go into effect for US-bound fliers at midnight Sunday.

The US travel industry had lobbied hard to repeal the testing rule on the grounds it was impacting economic recovery. 'More than 40 nations have safely removed their pre-departure testing requirement and a recent survey found that 54% of international travelers were less likely to visit the US with the requirement still in place,' US Travel Association President Roger Dow said earlier this week.

Today, Dow welcomed the change as 'another huge step forward for the recovery of inbound air travel and the return of international travel to the United States.'

A positive for Americans cruising abroad

And, for the cruise industry, it's a positive because the requirement was a deterrent for Americans to cruise abroad since they might test positive before returning home and get stuck somewhere in shoreside quarantine.

'Since the start of the pandemic, our US customers expressed that the testing requirement for re-entry is the number one thing holding them back from traveling internationally, and we’re thrilled that this barrier has been lifted,' said Ellen Bettridge, president & CEO of Uniworld.

'This change will give travelers more confidence to make plans to travel to worldwide destinations,' agreed Seabourn President Josh Leibowitz, 'and, more importantly, our US guests will have peace of mind knowing they will be able to return home without having to undergo testing requirements. In addition, our international guests will also have less stress when they book voyages departing from the US.'

CLIA calls for review of pre-cruise testing

Cruise Lines International Association said that of the 79m international visitors who traveled to the US in 2019, approximately 2.5m came to embark on a cruise and generated $4.5bn in spending for the US economy.

'The decision announced today is a strong step forward in easing restrictions so that the cruise industry can continue to contribute to the rebounding of the US economy,' CLIA said, adding: 'As the CDC monitors the improving health landscape and works with airlines to support a smooth transition with the lifting of the pre-arrival testing requirement, we believe a review of pre-embarkation testing requirements for cruise travelers is also in order.'

Testing mandate for cruisers not expected to go away soon

Yet industry sources told Seatrade Cruise News it's unlikely the CDC will waive testing protocols for cruise ships any time soon.

A new COVID wave fueled by Omicron subvariants is driving up infections throughout the US and elsewhere.

Nearly all ships now 'orange'

According to the CDC's color-coded Cruise Ship Status Dashboard, 85 ships are now designated 'orange,' meaning COVID cases onboard meet the threshold for investigation (0.3% of total passsengers and/or crew or 1% of crew on ships not yet carrying passengers). Four ships are 'yellow' (reported cases below the investigation threshold) and two are 'green' (no reported cases).

No ships are at 'red.'

Pre-cruise testing required

Currently, every traveler embarking on a cruise from the US — whether vaccinated or not — needs to present a negative COVID test to be allowed onboard. For unvaccinated travelers, there's an added antigen screening at the terminal.

Cruise lines have made accommodations for those travelers who show up without being tested by facilitating terminal testing for them on a limited basis.

Testing an added assurance to limit the spread

'A year ago, we thought just getting vaccinated would prevent you from getting infected,' a cruise industry operations expert said. 'Now we know from the Delta and especially Omicron variants that vaccination doesn't prevent COVID but helps reduce hospitalization and death. So the screening with testing is really giving travelers assurance that COVID's spread will be limited onboard.'

Update adds CLIA's perspective and call for a review of pre-cruise testing

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