Will Cruise Ships Start Enforcing Age Limits?

As coronavirus seems to become more serious in several countries, including the United States, the idea of age limits has started to become kicked around the cruise industry. As many people have noted, COVID-19 is largely a disease that affects the elderly the most. Perhaps not allowing anyone over a certain age onto cruise ships will, at the very least, protect them from a potentially fatal illness that could possibly find its way onto the ship.

The cruise industry’s health plan

The current rumors going around about this concept stem from the recent introduction of a health plan to the government from the cruise industry. It was not immediately stated what their plan consisted of, but some have begun to say that the plan suggests a ban on anyone over the age of 70 entering cruise ships. It’s not entirely sure as of right now how exactly this would be enforced, but it likely wouldn’t be too big of a logistical problem. Additionally, it is thought the plan has similar provisions for anyone with chronic medical conditions.

Norwegian does it themselves

While we are waiting for the details of the industry’s plan to be released, Norwegian seems to have gotten impatient. Their new policy states that anyone over the age of 70 “must provide a Certificate of Medical Fitness to Travel form prior to embarkation.” This form is reportedly easy to fill out, and must be verified and signed by a health care provider. This move seems to confirm the idea that the industry is moving in the direction of being far more cautious with the elderly.

So, is this a good move?

Well, overall, yes. It definitely could be annoying for those who are old yet feel they are healthy, but the statistics largely point to coronavirus being most deadly for the elderly. This doesn’t mean it’s a walk in the park for young people, but most fatalities are from those around the age of 70 or so. The one thing that this doesn’t help a lot with is the actual spread of the disease, as there are currently no figures saying that older people spread the disease more. If anything, people under the age of 19 likely do, as they can be contagious, while also being asymptomatic.

Still, though, this is definitely a huge help in making sure those most at risk don’t get the disease. If this saves even one life, it’s worth it!