The Florida Department of Health is currently in court fighting a proposed law that would require parents to get their children vaccinated before entering public school. The crux of the issue: a certain strain of meningitis vaccine. While the illness is rare, the vaccine was proven effective in Florida and the Department of Health wants to make sure it is available to as many children as possible.
One of the main issues that affected the cruise industry this year was the Hepatitis A scare spreading across Europe. In the US, the outbreak was contained and it is currently under control. But, a few cases have been reported in Florida and a new company, Verdant, is alleging that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention caused this to happen by disallowing any food on the cruise ship that contained the Hepatitis A vaccine.
In Florida, lawmakers have been pushing to add so-called “personal belief” vaccines to the state’s required child vaccinations list, but the measure has been met with stiff resistance from the state’s travel industry. “State of Florida and Cruise Industry Clash Over Vaccine Issue”. Read more about cruise news and let us know what you think.After the worst year in the industry’s history, cruise lines are rushing to prepare for another trip. With debts and too little income, they are forced to return to the sea. 
Celebrity Edge at sea. (Photo via Celebrity Cruises) Recent events have given impetus to this process. Thanks to successful vaccination across the country, a series of new onboard facilities and medical protocols, and a recent collaboration with a public health agency, ships could be back at sea from U.S. ports as early as June. This is all good news, but there are still some hurdles to overcome. Surprisingly, the biggest obstacle to getting the industry back on track is precisely where the greatest gains can be made. The state of Florida is the departure point for more than 60 percent of cruise passengers in the U.S. and the recipient of hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions in revenue. The state is desperate to get the cruise ships back and running. He is also filing a lawsuit against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to revoke a conditional departure order that currently prevents ships from leaving U.S. ports. READ MORE: CDC approves Royal Caribbean test cruises in June So what’s the problem? There is a but – and a very big one. At the same time that his state was filing a lawsuit to reopen the cruise industry, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law that prohibits private companies from requiring someone to prove they have received the COVID-19 vaccine. He argued that immunization cards would create two classes of citizens based on immunizations. 
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. In Florida, your personal decision to get vaccinated is protected, and no business or government agency can deny you services based on your decision, DeSantis said at the event where he signed the law. Under the new law, which went into effect July 1, companies can be fined up to $5,000 for each violation – in this case, per passenger. The governor has since stood by his position, although any plans by the industry or health authorities to resume the cruises depend heavily on whether the vast majority of passengers are fully vaccinated. When Norwegian Cruise Line, the world’s third-largest cruise line, announced plans to continue cruises with only fully vaccinated crew and passengers, DeSantis mocked the company for not being one of the largest. In response to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio’s threat to move ships elsewhere, he said the slot would be filled by other companies. Explanation: Letter to return cruise ships to sea The situation escalated this week when Celebrity Cruises received permission from the CDC for a seven-day Caribbean trip aboard the Celebrity Edge on the 26th. The ship took delivery in June, making it the first ship to leave a U.S. port in more than a year. Celebrity Cruises said it will follow CDC guidelines, which require at least 98 percent of crew and 95 percent of passengers to be vaccinated before boarding. A day later, Christina Pushow, a spokeswoman for DeSantis, confirmed that the governor was no stranger to the situation and said the CDC’s vaccination recommendations applied. The CDC has no legal authority to set cruise requirements, she said. In short, the CDC urges cruise lines to violate Florida law to comply with CDC guidelines that are not legally binding. 
(Photo courtesy of CDC) This puts the cruise industry between a rock and a hard place. Although some cruise enthusiasts object to mandatory vaccinations, cruise lines report that many guests feel uncomfortable on a ship that does not require vaccinations, at least for most passengers and crew. READ MORE: What you should know about cruise insurance For their part, the cruise lines are extremely cautious about the prospect of an on-board epidemic, especially after they were attacked by the mainstream media at the beginning of the pandemic. Rebooting with all possible precautions is just common sense. The fact is that ships will sail, and they will sail with vaccination requirements. If Florida law doesn’t allow it, they don’t do it from Florida. And if the cruise lines disappear, even temporarily, it would be a severe economic blow to state coffers. Instead, other states or other countries will receive the money. READ MORE: Cruise passengers divided on vaccination requirements We hope to reach an outcome where all cruise lines can operate under Florida law, said Pushaw, a spokesman for DeSantis. With entrenched opposing views, it’s hard to see how this could happen unless more lawsuits are filed or DeSantis realizes this is a health and safety issue, not a debate about rights and freedoms.The state of Florida is looking at requiring vaccinations for children entering school, following the news that several cases of measles have been noted in the state. The decision to require vaccinations has divided the state and industry alike.. Read more about carnival cruise news and let us know what you think.
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