Royal Caribbean Group Gives an Update on Omicron

In a press release this morning, Royal Caribbean Group provided an update to cruisers on how the company is approaching the new Omicron variant that’s currently spreading across the United States.

According to the cruise line, “Omicron has significantly altered the COVID-19 landscape for everyone, and the Royal Caribbean Group is no exception”. The press release notes that while Omicron is more infectious, thankfully the symptoms appear to be much more mild, particularly among the vaccinated. 

“Omicron is having a big short-term impact on everyone, but many observers see this as a major step towards COVID-19 becoming endemic rather than epidemic,” said Richard Fain, Chairman & CEO. “We don’t like to see even one case, but our experience is a fraction of the comparable statistics of virtually any other comparable location or industry. Few businesses are subject to such intense scrutiny, regulation, and disclosure requirements by so many authorities, and we welcome that scrutiny because of our commitment to safety. We intend to maintain our goal of delivering the safest vacation on land or sea and will constantly adjust our procedures to accomplish this even in the face of Omicron’s amazing transmissibility.”

Over 1.1 Million Cruise Passengers so Far 

Since Royal Caribbean resumed operation in June 2021, 1.1 million passengers have set sail with just 1,745 people testing positive – a positivity rate of 0.02%. Consistent with what the medical community has seen among breakthrough vaccinated cases, the vast majority of the cases had no symptoms or only mild symptoms, with only 41 people needing hospitalization. None of the Omicron cases have been severe or needed to be taken to a hospital. 

RELATED: Royal Caribbean Returns to Port of Baltimore

Chief Medical Officer for the cruise line Dr. Calvin Johnson revealed that they had already begun providing crew with booster shots. 

“The company is navigating through the ever-evolving information on the Omicron variant.  Our case count has spiked, but the level of severity is significantly milder. We will remain nimble and in constant contact with health authorities. For example, even before Omicron, we have been giving all our crewmembers booster shots as they became eligible.”