Cruise Lines

The decision came three days after Norwegian announced it would no longer require passengers to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 before boarding ships.

Now that Norwegian has lifted requirements that passengers show proof of vaccination against COVID, it says the state’s appeal in the case is moot and a preliminary injunction should be scrapped.

The company said that beginning Aug. 1 that testing will still be needed on ships departing from places where rules still requires testing.

While the agency has lifted its travel health notice two years after putting it in place, officials say it's up to travelers to determine their own health risks before going aboard a ship.

A study says declining COVID rates and increased eagerness about traveling have contributed to these statistics.

A motion for dismissal filed at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals did not explain the decision, but the CDC let expire what is known as a “conditional sailing order” that placed COVID restrictions.

The cancellations involve nearly half of the cruise line's fleet after one ship returned early to Miami this week due to a COVID-19 outbreak among crew members.

The chances of getting COVID on a cruise are "very high," even for those who are vaccinated and boosted, the nation's public health agency said.

After several Florida-based ships reported COVID-19 outbreaks, the CDC said that 88 vessels are now under either investigation or observation.

The Carnival Freedom, with an undisclosed number of cases, and Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas, with at least 60, returned to their Florida ports on Sunday.