Cruises no longer have to follow COVID-19 rules from January, the CDC said

• Cruise ships will be allowed to lift COVID-19 restrictions from mid-January, the CDC said Monday.
• An order imposing restrictions on cruise ships has been in place since last year.

From January, cruise ships won't have to stick to strict COVID-19 guidelines in US waters, ending rules that have been in place for about a year, the CDC said Monday in a press release.

It is the latest in a series of moves to gradually reopen the US to international tourists.

From January 15, 2022, the CDC said it intends to "transition to a voluntary framework," meaning the cruise companies can choose what regulations they want to enforce.

An order issued just under a year ago required strict measures for cruise ships sailing in US waters such as 95% vaccination of passengers.

It was due to expire on November 1, but was instead extended until January 15.

The new version includes modifications, like relaxing the necessary levels of vaccination and ceasing to require CDC messaging in the cruise ships' marketing material, The Washington Post reported.

On October 12, the Secretary of Homeland Security foreshadowed the reopening of travel routes between the US, Canada, and Mexico -which have been closed for non-essential travel for 19 months due to the pandemic - for vaccinated people,

The Biden administration also announced that it plans to allow vaccinated travelers from around the world into the US from November 8. The measure will end the travel ban imposed on numerous countries including Brazil, most of Europe, and the UK.