CDC signals cruise ships can resume sailing in U.S. waters this summer

The cruise industry's call to be allowed to sail in U.S. waters again has been answered. The ships bearing thousands of vacationing passengers can resume operations so long as the overwhelming majority of those on board are vaccinated against COVID-19, according to new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In a letter issued to cruise companies on Wednesday and obtained by CBS News and other outlets, the agency stipulates that cruise ships can run in U.S. waters by mid-summer so long as 95% of customers and 98% of crew are vaccinated against COVID-19.  The new stance gives cruise lines a way out of a prior requirement that first mandated trial voyages before paying customers could board the ships.