The best way to protect others from the spread of diseases is to get vaccinated yourself, but it’s not just about protecting others. It’s also about protecting those who have less power – if you have the ability to get a vaccination and the rest of your group doesn’t, the risk of getting infected is much less for you.
The USVI has a new law requiring all passengers on cruise ships that dock in the USVI to be screened for measles, mumps, rubella, and polio. The law is intended to prevent an outbreak of vaccine preventable diseases, but there are fears that it will also make it difficult to travel to the USVI, and that the law will scare off tourists.
At the beginning of January, the US Virgin Islands (USVI) became the first US territory to ban cruise ships from docking there unless all their passengers are vaccinated against measles. The measure came after a measles outbreak that began in December in the state of Michigan, which reached its peak in April.. Read more about royal caribbean and let us know what you think.
With COVID-19 cases on the increase and just 35% of the population completely vaccinated, the US Virgin Islands has decided to bar cruise ships from entering its ports unless all passengers aged 12 and above have had a full vaccination.
“Passengers who are unable to produce evidence of vaccination will not be permitted to sail,” Royal Caribbean said after being notified of the change in a message to guests. “Guests under the age of 12 are excluded from the COVID vaccination since they are not eligible. They must, however, test negative for COVID upon boarding and adhere to specific shipboard protocols.”
With the new USVI decree, Royal Caribbean now requires that all eligible guests be completely vaccinated against the virus if the cruise includes a stop in the USVI.
The Allure of the Seas will visit St. Thomas on August 8 as part of a seven-night cruise starting from Port Canaveral. Royal Caribbean offered unvaccinated travelers a full refund or the option to take an alternative trip in a letter to passengers booked on that voyage.
St. Thomas’ Trunk Bay
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The letter also said that the Allure August 8 voyage would no longer stop on St. Kitts, which recently limited cruise visits to ships with a maximum capacity of 700 people, underscoring the difficulties of cruising at this time. As a consequence, Allure will instead go to Philipsburg, St. Maarten.
The USVI was one of sixteen places added to the CDC’s ‘Very High Risk’ list earlier today, with the recommendation to “be fully vaccinated before going to the United States Virgin Islands.”
The number of active COVID-19 cases in the USVI has gradually risen over the past three weeks, with both active cases and hospitalizations at their highest levels this year.
Royal Caribbean said last week that all guests sailing from the United States, even those who are fully vaccinated, must provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test. The adjustment was attributed to a rise in instances caused by the Delta variety, according to the line.
The Sea’s Allure (Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean)
Governor Albert Bryan Jr. of the US Virgin Islands pleaded with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in June to make an exemption for the cruise industry under the state’s new legislation prohibiting companies from asking consumers about their immunization status.
According to Bryan, the legislation may have a significant effect on the health and well-being of millions of Caribbean people.
“The bill you signed into law may have a detrimental effect on the US Virgin Islands and other Caribbean port of call destinations,” Bryan added.
In a normal year, St. Thomas alone receives approximately 1.5 million cruise passengers. It features two cruise ship harbors: the Havensight Cruise Ship Port, which has three docking places east of Charlotte Amalie, and the Crown Bay dock, which can accommodate two ships at a time and is on the west side of the USVI capital.
On St. Croix, a single pier near Frederiksted, the island’s second-largest municipality, can accommodate up to two cruise ships at a time. There is no port on St. John, the smallest of the three US Virgin Islands, so ships stop in Cruz Bay Harbor and tender passengers ashore.
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The USVI, an unincorporated territory of the US, has decided to make cruise ship passengers from other states and countries a little more healthy.. Read more about st thomas cruise ship schedule 2024 and let us know what you think.
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