DeSantis: State will sue to get cruises sailing again
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story...-cruise-ships-sailing-immediately/7139415002/
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that Florida will sue the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to end the drydocking of the cruise industry.
For nearly 10 months, cruise ships were prevented from leaving ports with passengers by a no-sail order issued by the CDC. That order was replaced on Nov. 1 with a "conditional" sail order that require cruise lines to get approval from the CDC of their safety plans before setting sail.
"Florida is fighting back," the governor said, flanked by cruise line employees and state and local officials. "This is not reasonable. This is not rational."
More:DeSantis' vaccine passport ban confounds cruise lines' reopening plans
Both DeSantis and others, including U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Miami, cited the proliferation of vaccines as a game changer that should let ships sail.
But those assertions appear undermined by an executive order issued by DeSantis on April 2 preventing cruise lines and other industries from using vaccine documentation in conducting business.
DeSantis' order banning businesses from requiring "vaccination passports" — documents that prove a person has been vaccinated - would have barred cruise lines operating in Florida from using government-issued vaccine cards as proof.
DeSantis has prided himself on his anti-lockdown stance, especially getting Florida's tourism industry up and running. His vaccination-passport ban came as a surprise to some, who thought it would help hospitality businesses open to full capacity. To others, the executive order jibes with DeSantis' opposition to government interference in peoples' lives and privacy.
"Requiring so-called COVID-19 vaccine passports for taking part in everyday life - such as attending a sporting event, patronizing a restaurant, or going to a movie theater — would create two classes of citizens based on vaccination," according to the executive order."
A spokesman for NCL confirmed Monday evening that the cruise line would accept the cards as proof of vaccination.
The CDC shut down the industry in mid-March 2020 when it issued a no-sail order. The ban has been replaced with a "conditional sail order," which requires cruise lines to detail their safety protocols and get permission from the CDC before re-opening.
Proof of vaccinations for crew and passengers is now a requirement included in most cruise lines' safety plans. Mandatory vaccinations on cruise ships also aligns with safety protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Federal Maritime Commission.
”We believe that through a combination of 100% mandatory vaccinations for guests and crew and science-backed public health measures as developed by the Healthy Sail Panel... we can create a safe, ‘bubble-like’ environment for guests and crew," wrote Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings in a letter to the CDC on Monday.
However, on Wednesday, the company backtracked, saying in a press release that it would require vaccinations for passengers and crew but that it is "premature" to set protocols for health and safety.
"Given the ever-evolving nature of the pandemic, the accelerating rollout of the vaccine, and the speed of scientific learnings, it is premature to make decisions about our health and safety protocols for cruises with embarkation dates beginning Nov. 1, 2021," said Harry Sommer, NCL's President and Chief Executive Officer.
The controversy over the restrictions DeSantis' order placed on cruise lines' boiled over on Monday, when Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava tweeted a statement reading: "Many of our cruise partners at PortMiami are leading the way in announcing their own new policies requiring pasengers and crew to be vaccinated."
On Wednesday, Cava issued a statement saying she was encouraged by efforts at the CDC to get ships sailing again. She added: "I look forward to working with the Governor to ensure his executive order does not place undue regulations on the cruise industry partners who are working hard to prepare a safe re-opening."
