CDC investigating dozens of cruise ships with COVID-19 outbreaks

Nearly 90 cruise ships experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks are under investigation or observation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC did not say how many COVID-19 cases have been reported on board the ships, The Associated Press reports. Some of the vessels have been turned away at foreign ports, including the Carnival Freedom, which was denied entry to Aruba and Bonaire after it was reported that it is carrying sick passengers and crew members.
At the start of the pandemic in the spring of 2020, some cruise ships were forced to wait off the coasts of Florida and California, as officials were concerned about welcoming passengers and crew infected by the virus. After being shut down for months, the industry started to make its comeback in June, with cruises once again resuming in North America.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The CDC has not said if it will enact any changes because of the new outbreaks, and no cruise lines have said they will stop running. Most require adult passengers to show proof of vaccination against the coronavirus. CDC spokesperson Jasmine Reed told AP the agency "acknowledges that it is not possible for cruising to be a zero-risk activity."
Florida is a hub for cruise ships, and with the highly contagious Delta and Omicron variants both in circulation, the state is seeing its COVID-19 numbers rise. On Tuesday, Florida reported 46,900 new COVID-19 cases in one day, a new record. Hospitalizations are also up, with 3,400 patients in the hospital on Wednesday compared to 1,200 patients two weeks ago. This is not as bad as in late August, when five times as many people were hospitalized amid a Delta surge.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
How to do the 75 Hard trend the soft way
The Week Recommends The 75 Soft Challenge might be more your speed if you're trying to hit a soft reset
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Rep. Sylvester Turner dies, weeks after joining House
Speed Read The former Houston mayor and longtime state legislator left behind a final message for Trump: 'Don't mess with Medicaid'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump pauses Ukraine intelligence sharing
Speed Read The decision is intended to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into peace negotiations with Vladimir Putin
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas outbreak brings 1st US measles death since 2015
Speed read The outbreak is concentrated in a 'close-knit, undervaccinated' Mennonite community in rural Gaines County
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Mystery illness spreading in Congo rapidly kills dozens
Speed Read The World Health Organization said 53 people have died in an outbreak that originated in a village where three children ate a bat carcass
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ozempic can curb alcohol cravings, study finds
Speed read Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also be helpful in limiting alcohol consumption
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New form of H5N1 bird flu found in US dairy cows
Speed Read This new form of bird flu is different from the version that spread through herds in the last year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Microplastics accumulating in human brains, study finds
Speed Read The amount of tiny plastic particles found in human brains increased dramatically from 2016 to 2024
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
FDA approves painkiller said to thwart addiction
Speed Read Suzetrigine, being sold as Journavx, is the first new pharmaceutical pain treatment approved by the FDA in 20 years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Study finds possible alternative abortion pill
Speed Read An emergency contraception (morning-after) pill called Ella could be an alternative to mifepristone for abortions
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
HMPV is spreading in China but there's no need to worry
The Explainer Respiratory illness is common in winter
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published