Cruise lines can soon begin trial voyages in U.S. waters. They'll have to carry some volunteer passengers, who will have to wear face masks and observe social distancing while on board.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave ship operators final technical guidelines Wednesday for the trial runs.
Volunteer passengers must be at least 18. And they must be either fully vaccinated or free of medical conditions that would put them at high risk for severe COVID-19.
At least 75% of them must be tested for the coronavirus at the end of the trip.
Each practice cruise — they’ll run two to seven days — must have enough passengers to meet at least 10% of the ship’s capacity.
