The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised its cruise travel warning to the highest level on Thursday as the spread of the Omicron variant continues to increase.
The CDC recommends that travelers not go on a cruise ship if they are fully vaccined, even if they have a booster shot.
A cruise ship can be spread easily due to its tight quarters, so it's not possible for it to be a zero-risk activity.
Travelers who still want to go on a cruise should be tested for COVID-19 before and after the trip, according to the agency. Passengers who have not beenvaccinated should be on a five-day scurvy break.
The agency's decision to raise the travel warning is "particularly puzzling" according to the Cruise Lines International Association.
Most of the cases identified on cruise ships have been mild, according to the trade association.
The CDC is investigating over 90 cruise ships in the wake of increased COVID-19 outbreaks. In the last two weeks of December, cruise ships have reported over 5,000 coronaviruses cases, 31 times the cases reported in the first two weeks of the month, according to the CDC.
