Are mask-wearing requirements making a comeback on cruise ships?
They're for cruises to Alaska, which is a popular summer vacation.
Holland America and Princess Cruises, the two major participants in Alaska cruises, have recently reinstated a masks-required restriction for some sailings in the region, citing a recent surge in COVID-19 cases across the state.
The new rules only apply to customers on one-way Alaska cruises between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Whittier, Alaska, according to both lines.
On round-trip voyages to Alaska from Seattle, masks are recommended but not essential.
In recent days, Alaska has been documenting roughly 400 new cases of COVID-19 per day, about double the number documented in March.
However, because many persons who test positive for COVID-19 utilising home tests are no longer being documented in official health records, the daily case counts for COVID-19 in Alaska could be substantially higher.
"Due to an increase in positive COVID-19 cases throughout Alaska, all guests will be forced to wear face masks at all times while on board [these voyages], except when eating or drinking or in their own staterooms," Holland America wrote to clients on one-way Alaska sailings this week.
In a recent letter to clients on one-way Alaska sailings, Princess, which is owned by the same parent corporation as Holland America, said something similar.
The comprehensive guide to choosing a cruise line is available here.
The increased mask-wearing requirements follow an increase in COVID-19 case counts on some cruise ships sailing around the West Coast of the United States and Canada in recent months, including ships sailing in and out of Vancouver.
As a result of the cases, cruisers aboard ships arriving in Vancouver, in particular, have been subjected to lengthy quarantines.
The Canadian government requires a 10-day quarantine for COVID-19-positive cruisers arriving in Vancouver, which often must be completed in a hotel in the city after a cruise, as one of our own staffers discovered after testing positive for COVID-19 on a Princess ship arriving in Vancouver last month.
Some of the costs of such quarantines, which can be substantial, are covered by cruise lines.
COVID-19 spread over the globe in many waves throughout much of 2021 and into early 2022, necessitating the use of masks on cruise ships.
In February and March, however, most major cruise lines lifted mask requirements as the number of COVID-19 cases globally decreased dramatically.
Many cruisers disliked the obligation to wear a mask, which contributed to lower-than-normal cruise bookings in the previous year.
Most cruise lines now recommend that passengers wear masks while on board, but most itineraries do not mandate it.
Fewer passengers are using masks on sailings where they are not needed.
The new mask-wearing requirement for Alaska cruises, which applies to both Holland America and Princess, only applies to guests who are indoors on a cruise ship or in motor buses or rail carriages used during cruise line-sponsored trips.
Both companies now recommend, but do not require, that passengers wear masks when on ship decks or when visiting ports.
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