Good news for the tens of millions of Americans who’ve lost their jobs, had their businesses destroyed, and are suffering from isolation and anxiety due to the prolonged lockdown: You can soon line up at an “All you can eat” buffet on a cruise ship.
The Wall Street Journal reported last Thursday that the CDC now says it’s OK for cruise operators to resume sailings “as early as mid-July.”
This new “freedom,” however, will depend on vaccinations:
“The CDC, in a letter to cruise-industry leaders Wednesday evening, also said cruise ships can proceed to passenger sailings without test cruises if they attest that 98 percent of crew members and 95 percent of passengers are fully vaccinated.”
Showing its “progressive” side, the CDC has agreed that instead of the more-involved PCR test for COVID, it will allow the 5 percent passengers who aren’t COVID-vaxxed to take a rapid test.
And the other “big” freedom the CDC is offering is that “passengers will be able to quarantine at home if they are within driving distance.”
Before issuing this letter, all cruise ships were restricted under orders since last fall that required operators to “conduct test cruises and apply for a certificate at least 60 days before offering passenger cruises.” Under the new, “more relaxed” rules, the CDC will “review and respond to applications for simulated voyages within five days.”
TREND FORECAST: Celebrating the good news, the Wall Street Journal notes that “the loosening of the requirements brings cruise operators, which have lost billions of dollars over the past year, closer to the opportunity of generating revenue.”
Considering the demographic makeup and psychographic characteristics of those who take cruises, we forecast that by 2022 there will be a strong bounce-back in the cruise industry.
