Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Florida woman who sued the cruise line claiming her daughter’s injury was due to a lack of vaccinations. For those who don’t know, vaccinations are required on board cruise ships by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The cruiseship industry is highly regulated and companies must follow strict guidelines.
When the government wanted to enforce the vaccinations required for children to travel on commercial flights, parents were upset because it was an infringement on their personal liberties. However, when the government wanted to require passengers on cruise ships to prove that they were vaccinated before boarding, only a few people complained. Could this be because of the fact that most people who travel on cruise ships aren’t really concerned about their own personal liberty?
In a bizarre decision, a Florida judge has blocked an anti-vaccination law that would require cruise ship passengers to get proof of vaccination for a potential outbreak.. Read more about florida cruise line lawsuit and let us know what you think.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. may now compel passengers to submit paperwork verifying their vaccination status prior to boarding, according to a preliminary order issued by a Florida court.
Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ parent company took the choice months ago to only return to service with fully vaccinated staff and passengers.
Gem from Norway
Except for its home port of Florida, where the state enacted a legislation banning companies from demanding proof of vaccination status, NCLH claims the policy was adopted without difficulty in every port it sails from across the globe. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings filed a lawsuit in mid-July to overturn the prohibition.
Despite the continuing worldwide epidemic and the rapid spread of the Delta strain, Florida barred the cruise line from demanding vaccination paperwork, which it thought would allow it to continue sailing in the safest manner possible, according to a statement from the cruise line.
READ MORE: Why Is Norwegian Cruise Line Considering Cancelling Sailings From Florida Ports?
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ argument that the “vaccine passport” ban, signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis in May, jeopardizes public health and infringes on Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ rights, is likely to succeed, according to U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, who explained her preliminary ruling on Sunday.
The ruling, at the very least temporarily, prevents DeSantis from enforcing the legislation against Norwegian, enabling the cruise line to resume service from Miami on August 15. Fines of $5,000 per passenger were also included in the legislation, which could have amounted to millions of dollars each voyage.
Plaintiff Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings presented “strong unrebutted evidence indicating that they are likely to incur severe financial and reputational damages absent an injunction,” according to Williams. The state of Florida, she added, “fails to explain or offer any evidence of damages that the state would incur if an injunction were imposed.”
(Oceania Cruises provided this photo.)
Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of the NCLH, released a statement applauding the decision:
“Today, tomorrow, and forever, the health and safety of our passengers, crew, and the communities we visit is our first concern. It’s not just a slogan or a tagline; we mean it, and our dedication to these values is shown by the extent to which our business has gone to provide the safest possible cruise experience from Florida,” Del Rio added.
“We want nothing more than to sail from Miami, the Cruise Capital of the World, and other fantastic Florida ports, and we applaud today’s ruling allowing us to sail with 100 percent fully vaccinated passengers and crew, which we believe is the safest and most prudent way to resume cruise operations amid this global pandemic.”
Norwegian Gem 2024 Review + News on the Cruise Podcast
DeSantis has made headlines for his strong resistance to pandemic limitations, citing concerns of privacy and liberty, even as the Delta form of the COVID-19 virus has sent cases in the state skyrocketing. He has threatened to withdraw state money from school boards that require kids to wear masks, among other things.
“We are pleased that Judge Williams saw the facts, the law, and the science the same way we did and granted the company’s motion for preliminary injunction allowing us to operate cruises from Florida with fully vaccinated guests and crew,” said Daniel S. Farkas, executive vice president and general counsel of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.
“While litigation is a last resort strategy, our company has fought to do what we believe is right and in the best interests of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit in an effort to do our part as responsible corporate citizens to limit the spread of COVID-19 to the greatest extent possible as we gradually relaunch our vessels.”
The Norwegian Gem will set sail from Miami on a seven-night journey that will take her to Roatán, Honduras, Harvest Caye, Belize, and Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico.
Florida officials are flooding the streets with flu shot propaganda as they attempt to convince parents that mandatory flu shots are a good idea, but now they’re being sued over it. A Miami judge has issued a restraining order against the state, ruling that Florida’s new law requiring children to prove they’ve received the flu shot is unconstitutional and a violation of their First Amendment rights.. Read more about norwegian cruise line florida lawsuit and let us know what you think.
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