Updated CDC guidance (Aug. 27, 2021) -- will pre-cruise testing requirements change?

[Turtles06]

There are threads on the RCI and HAL boards discussing an update on August 27 by the CDC to its "Operations Manual for Simulated and Restricted Cruises Under the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order" that I thought would be of interest here, since the CDC update includes pre-embarkation testing timelines that would have fully vaccinated passengers being tested "no more than 2 days before boarding or a viral test on embarkation day."  (Emphasis added)

 

I'm not posting this to say that Celebrity is going to make this change, just to alert folks to those discussions and the CDC source material so that those interested can read the information for themselves.  I do think that having to take a pre-embarkation test within two days of boarding could be a problem for many people who drive to a port, and/or in any event might otherwise make it difficult for many folks to take the test before they leave home (which I think many people would prefer to do).

 

Here are the links to the RCI and HAL board threads:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2798780-updated-cdc-guidance/

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2798929-august-27-2021-update-to-cdcs-cso-are-the-goal-posts-moving-yet-again/

 

Here's the link to the CDC update:

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/covid19-operations-manual-cso.html#screening-of-embarking-passengers

 

From the CDC link, you can select "Testing of Embarking and Disembarking Passengers for Restricted Voyages" to read the testing guidance.

 

And here is a short Seatrade Cruise News article about the CDC update, which says, among other things, "effective Sept. 13, CDC advises fully vaccinated passengers present a negative test (PCR or antigen) taken no more than two days before embarkation or to be tested at embarkation." 

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/environmental-health/cdc-covid-update-reflects-what-cruise-lines-are-already-doing-adds-gray-color

 

[D C]

Challenging/risky enough getting a PCR in 3 days let alone 2.

 

That said, they do say "† Fully vaccinated passengers may use a self-test (sometimes referred to as home test)"

 

The guidelines for which read very much like X's own guidelines.  Sounds like this is what to plan for.

---------

• Pre-embarkation testing for fully vaccinated passengers: fully vaccinated passengers may use a self-test (sometimes referred to as home test) that meets the following criteria:
  • The test must be a SARS-CoV-2 viral test (NAAT or antigen test) with an EUA from the FDA.
  • The testing procedure must include a telehealth service affiliated with the manufacturer of the test that provides real-time supervision remotely through an audio and video connection. Some FDA-authorized self-tests that include a telehealth service may require a prescription.
  • The telehealth provider must confirm the person’s identity, observe the specimen collection and testing procedures, confirm the test result, and issue a report that meets the information requirements listed below.
  • Cruise ship operators must be able to review and confirm the person’s identity and the test result details.
  • For travelers who test positive, CDC recommends the telehealth provider report positive test results to relevant public health authorities in the traveler’s location following local requirements. The telehealth provider should also counsel the traveler on what they and their close contacts should do. This would include not traveling until they complete isolation (if infected) or quarantine (if exposed), in accordance with local requirements.

[Turtles06]

24 minutes ago, D C said:

Challenging/risky enough getting a PCR in 3 days let alone 2.

 

That said, they do say "† Fully vaccinated passengers may use a self-test (sometimes referred to as home test)"

 

The guidelines for which read very much like X's own guidelines. 

 

Yes, I think the big difference is not the types of tests that the CDC would accept, it's the creation of a narrow testing window of 2 days before embarkation, which will pose a challenge to many folks who have to travel to the port.   (And might well eliminate the [more accurate] PCR test for anyone, for the reason you mention.)

 

I know it was a nightmare when Celebrity tried to test folks at the pier that very first weekend that X adopted the testing requirement for vaxxed folks, but perhaps Celebrity should come up with some reasonable means of testing on embarkation day, maybe through a third party.

[cbfb]

3 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Yes, I think the big difference is not the types of tests that the CDC would accept, it's the creation of a narrow testing window of 2 days before embarkation, which will pose a challenge to many folks who have to travel to the port.   (And might well eliminate the [more accurate] PCR test for anyone, for the reason you mention.)

 

I know it was a nightmare when Celebrity tried to test folks at the pier that very first weekend that X adopted the testing requirement for vaxxed folks, but perhaps Celebrity should come up with some reasonable means of testing on embarkation day, maybe through a third party.

Exactly my thought. Possibly with advance planning Celebrity could do testing at the pier. I am not dressed out at all about cruising, it’s the testing and turn around time!! 

[LMHSRN]

From the CDC link, you can select "Testing of Embarking and Disembarking Passengers for Restricted Voyages" .

 

I do not believe Celebrity is required to do any Restricted Voyages as they are sailing with 95%+ vaccinated passengers

[Jeremiah1212]

13 minutes ago, LMHSRN said:

From the CDC link, you can select "Testing of Embarking and Disembarking Passengers for Restricted Voyages" .

 

I do not believe Celebrity is required to do any Restricted Voyages as they are sailing with 95%+ vaccinated passengers

 

All cruise lines approved to operate with passengers are carrying out Restricted Voyages. The only other designation is a Simulated Voyage which was the name of the 'test cruise' for the ships that took that route. 

[Turtles06]

7 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

All cruise lines approved to operate with passengers are carrying out Restricted Voyages. The only other designation is a Simulated Voyage which was the name of the 'test cruise' for the ships that took that route. 

 

Thanks.  That's what I thought as well (which is why I started the thread, as I do think the new guidance is relevant to Celebrity).  

[39august]

Good grief! It is difficult enough to get a test 3 days before the sail date when we are flying in the day before the cruise.  But 2 days makes this very stressful.  Has X actually said anything officially?

[Turtles06]

10 minutes ago, 39august said:

Good grief! It is difficult enough to get a test 3 days before the sail date when we are flying in the day before the cruise.  But 2 days makes this very stressful.  Has X actually said anything officially?

 

Not that I'm aware of.  As I said in my original post, there's no way to know yet whether X will do anything.  I was just alerting folks to this CDC development (particularly as it's been discussed on other cruise line boards).

 

I agree -- two days would make it tough for many folks who have to travel to the port.  This is especially so if you'd really prefer to get tested at home and know the results before you leave, so that, if you do test positive, you don't wind up learning that after you've traveled to the port.

[runningtide]

Under no circumstances will I allow testing at the port, or for that matter changing the window to 2 days to be a procedure for me to cruise. The obvious issue, in the event you test positive at the port, you can’t fly home. Per CDC and possibly state guidelines, your required to quarantine in Fort Lauderdale. You can imagine what that complication would entail. I’m fine with testing before I go, and three days allows me to arrive a day before I embark. If I’m asymptotic and do test positive, I drive home and quarantine. It’s this constant changing dynamic that caused my party to cancel next months ABC cruise on Equinox. We may have to face the fact that because of delta, until we get on the down side of the curve, cruising may not be an option for many of us. 

[phoenix_dream]

OMG, if Celebrity implements a 2 day test that will be a nightmare!  Any wise person flies in at least a day or two ahead of time, and often doesn't have a vehicle available at the city of embarkation.  That is certainly the case for my upcoming 9/3 sailing.  We fly out Wednesday and sail Friday.  My tests are tomorrow.  If this were to change I would need to scramble and try to find a place in Seattle to be tested, and then those places (should I be lucky enough to find one!) would be swamped with people in the same boat as I am.

 

With all this changing testing stuff, Celebrity needs to get into action and arrange for testing options at the pier, even if we need to pay for them.  

 

I know people keep defending the CDC, but to me this is an outrageous overreaction and once again singles out cruising with much stricter requirements than any other large gathering of people.  Cruise lines have bent over backwards to sail safely, and are sailing with 95% or more of vaccinated crew and passengers.  I could site multiple examples of situations (schools, extended stay hotels, nursing homes, offices to name a few) where people spend hours in close proximity to each other day after day.  Where are the extreme restrictions for them?!?!

[Ipeeinthepools]

Maybe we all will need to get familiar with the telemed monitored self test that you can do at any time.

[TeeRick]

All this concern about 2 day testing.  Let’s wait and see before we get too crazy about this.  It would be very difficult to implement and people traveling a great distance to the port would need to cancel.  We are flying Philly to Seattle for Millennium and it is already a logistical problem getting the three day requirement. 

[TeeRick]

26 minutes ago, Dwight1 said:

2 days prior to embarkation? Impossible for me. Sail on a Monday , leave the day before on Sunday. Planning to take the test on Friday. Saturday is the worst day to schedule and  my doctors  office that I would go for it is closed on Saturday . If goes to 2 days, I’m done and cancelling. I’ve had enough of all these protocol changes and the CDC for that matter. What does the extra day really do? Nonsense.

The move from 3 days to 2 days actually makes little sense to me as well.  

[Jeremiah1212]

The idea is to get testing completed as close to boarding as possible without having to do it on embarkation day. Doing it day-of is expensive, takes a lot of time and creates some pretty big logistical issues. We've already seen the complaints about the boarding times and why people can't adhere to it. And we've seen the complaints about why people can't test within the allotted window. There is no good solution that is going to make everyone happy. Are they going to catch that many more positives by reducing the testing window by 24 hours? Probably not, but now with so much COVID present in the community, now is not the time to become lax with the process. 

[Turtles06]

38 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

All this concern about 2 day testing.  Let’s wait and see before we get too crazy about this.

 

Yes, I agree. I posted the CDC update so that folks with upcoming cruises would be alerted to the possibility of 2-day testing, and have time to think about how it might affect them if implemented by Celebrity (or others) and how they'd deal with it.  But I wouldn't get too crazy yet before it's been adopted. 

[phoenix_dream]

1 hour ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

Maybe we all will need to get familiar with the telemed monitored self test that you can do at any time.

That sounds like a good idea, until you consider that if a lot of people start doing that, it will be impossible to book a time to have your test monitored.  So we'll be bumping up against the same issues.

[Ipeeinthepools]

1 minute ago, phoenix_dream said:

That sounds like a good idea, until you consider that if a lot of people start doing that, it will be impossible to book a time to have your test monitored.  So we'll be bumping up against the same issues.

 

After listening to a couple of YouTube videos, I think the tests are monitored by people overseas.  I think they can have a large staff of people.

[D C]

1 hour ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

Maybe we all will need to get familiar with the telemed monitored self test that you can do at any time.

I'm seeing a lucrative side-gig to set up a company to do this solely for cruisers. 

[phoenix_dream]

57 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

All this concern about 2 day testing.  Let’s wait and see before we get too crazy about this.  It would be very difficult to implement and people traveling a great distance to the port would need to cancel.  We are flying Philly to Seattle for Millennium and it is already a logistical problem getting the three day requirement. 

You're right of course, but it's hard not to get nervous about it, especially those of us with imminent sailings (mine is Friday).  So much is riding on being able to meet the requirements so you can board.  And of course when Celebrity implemented the 3 day (first, 72 hour) test requirement there was zero notice and it turned into a complete mess.  I hope they learned their lesson and if they go with that requirement (which most of us agree makes little sense) that they put a reasonable plan in place to help people make it happen.  

[phoenix_dream]

1 minute ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

After listening to a couple of YouTube videos, I think the tests are monitored by people overseas.  I think they can have a large staff of people.

that's good to know

[Ipeeinthepools]

I usually fly in 2 days early leaving about noon.  I think I'll delay my departure until about 5 or 6 pm and get tested in the morning that I leave home.

[D C]

59 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

The move from 3 days to 2 days actually makes little sense to me as well.  

I think Maxwell Smart must work for the CDC.

 

3 vs 2 turning up loads of missed positives?

 

 

[phoenix_dream]

1 minute ago, D C said:

I'm seeing a lucrative side-gig to set up a company to do this solely for cruisers. 

Agree 100%.  I think testing will be with us for a good time to come.  Companies could really make a lot of $$ by setting up testing sites at the port, as well as in major metropolitan areas with testing designed and managed specifically for people traveling.  I know some areas have options at airports and so on, but not everyone,  so I still think there is real opportunity here.

[phoenix_dream]

1 minute ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

I usually fly in 2 days early leaving about noon.  I think I'll delay my departure until about 5 or 6 pm and get tested in the morning that I leave home.

That is an option we may need to explore if this goes forward.  Of course the longer you wait to fly the more risk you take in winding up with a cancelled flight the way that is going right now.  I know there are certainly bigger problems with this virus than figuring out how to get on a cruise, but this certainly adds to an already high stress load!