Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings today announced that the company’s three brands – Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises – have opted into the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships Operating in U.S. Waters, the agency’s voluntary COVID-19 risk mitigation program for foreign-flagged cruise ships operating in the United States

The program comes into effect after the expiration of the Temporary Extension and Modification of Framework for Conditional Sailing Order on January 15, 2022.

“The health and safety of our guests, crew and communities we visit is our number one priority. We have demonstrated this commitment since our return to service in July of last year, with protocols that exceeded those required by regulatory agencies, including 100% vaccination of guests and crew, universal testing of all guests prior to embarkation and routine testing of all crew,” said Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

“Furthering our commitment to health and safety, with the expiration of the CDC’s Conditional Sail Order, our three brands have opted into the CDC’s voluntary Program, which provides the cruise industry with a set of operating provisions to protect the health and safety of guests and crew. Our adoption of the voluntary Program provides guests, crew, travel partners and other stakeholders with the assurance that our brands will continue to meet and exceed the provisions laid out by the CDC and provide unparalleled health and safety protocols not found in any other sector of the travel and leisure space.”

The company said it advised the CDC of its three brands opting into the program earlier today.