Bilirakis Presses CDC to Follow the Science – Reduce Travel Advisory Warning for Cruising

Washington, DC: As Co-Chairman of the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus, Congressman Gus Bilirakis has proven himself a consistent, strong ally for helping this critical industry rebound from the significant economic toll it endured throughout the pandemic. In his latest efforts, Bilirakis and colleagues wrote to Jeffrey Zients, the White House COVID Coordinator urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to revise its Travel Advisory for cruise ships. Currently, the CDC continues to list cruise sailing at a Level 4 Travel Advisory. This position is not backed by facts or science, does not meaningfully improve public health outcomes, and unfairly punishes constituents and businesses who rely on the cruise industry for their livelihood.

"Policy decisions related to public health should be rooted in science and data, not politics," said Congressman Gus Bilirakis. "There is clear evidence proving that cruise lines have been operating during the pandemic with appropriate safeguards to protect the public. It is wrong for the CDC to continue unfairly targeting this industry without regard to the financial detriment continued overregulation has had on the industry and related small businesses.

The cruise industry restarted operations in the United States, last June. Since that time, more than 100 cruise ships have returned to U.S. waters, carrying more than two million people. Unlike other comparable industries in the travel and tourism sector that are not subject to the CDC's Level 4 travel warning, the cruise industry utilizes comprehensive protocols to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including testing, vaccination, screening, sanitation, mask-wearing, and other science-backed measures. In fact, testing rates on cruise ships are more than 20 times greater than the testing rate on land, and vaccination rates onboard a cruise ship significantly outpace land-based environments, with many ships having upwards of 100 percent of passengers and crew vaccinated. Indeed, these rates of testing and vaccinations far exceed what has been done on land. Yet, while the cruise industry has exceeded the goals established by the CDC, now the goalposts have been moved without a clear understanding of why the CDC is unilaterally choosing to do so and acting contrary to current public health trends, including CDC's own recommendations for the general public. Again, no comparable requirements have been imposed on other industries or modes of transportation, and CDC's continued micromanagement of cruise industry operations is far afield from this agency's expertise and its ordinarily limited role as a federal regulator. The CDC compares cruise ships to prisons, nursing homes and homeless shelters. This comparison is entirely inappropriate and without merit. Cruise operators have responsibly restarted with all the necessary safeguards to protect public health and safety, and the facts do not justify the CDC's efforts to unfairly target a single industry. Therefore, the CDC's Level 4 travel advisory for cruises must be reconsidered to treat the industry fairly. To read the letter in its entirety, please click here.