An estimated 30 million passengers are transported on 272 cruise ships worldwide each year. Cruise ships bring diverse populations into proximity for many days, facilitating transmission of respiratory illness. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and has since spread worldwide to at least 187 countries and territories.
Widespread COVID-19 transmission on cruise ships has been reported as well. Passengers on...