How the Fallout Between the CDC and Florida Governor is Affecting Cruise Lines in Miami
COVID-19 has, for the last couple of months, shaken the world and disrupted how we operate and do business. Normal economic activities have been disrupted, lockdowns imposed, and people asked to maintain social distancing to curb the spread of the virus. But, finally, there is a vaccine for the virus. The government has already started vaccinating the citizens against the deadly virus.
With the rolling out of the COVID-19 vaccine, most American citizens have already been vaccinated, and things have started getting back to normal. Citizens can now put away their face masks and socialize freely without observing the social distancing rule.
Florida has the largest cruise line and is a huge cruise tourism destination due to its developed ports, which allow docking of such huge ships. However, this has caused a rift between the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, and the CDC. To ensure the health safety of the citizens, the CDC has stated that cruise ships still need to provide proof of vaccination.
The CDC requires that before boarding the cruise ship, there should be proof showing that 98% of the crew members and 95% of the passengers are vaccinated. On the other hand, the governor maintains that private agencies and organizations don’t need proof of vaccination to run their operations.
How Has This Affected the Cruise Ship Industry?
Alvarez Technology Group CEO, Luis Alvarez, states that the current differences between the governor and the CDC have left the cruise ship owners and operators between a rock and a hard place. This has forced cruise ships to head out to North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, where the CDC outlines are keenly followed. Flying out to these other ports is also tricky as there are no flights to some other airports, making it a costly affair flying to other ports apart from the port of Miami.
Some while back, the government of Florida injected $273 million for the expansion of Miami port. This was in a bid to increase the number of ships docking at Miami port. However, cruise ships will be forced to drop off the passengers in Puerto Rico and other Caribbean countries with the current fallout. But, ports in these other parts are not as developed as the Miami port, nor do they have the capacity to handle such many cruise lines.
The fallout between the governor and the CDC has led the judge to pass an impasse giving the two parties two weeks to decide on the matter, or the judge will be forced to pass a ruling that neither of them will like. There is so much at stake right now as the indifferences between the CDC and the governor will highly disrupt the cruise line business.
When traveling overseas to Mexico, Canada, and Hawaii, you will need proof of vaccination. If you are already planning to travel overseas, it’s high time you get vaccinated against the virus, as you will be required to produce proof of vaccination. However, if you are within the country, you will need no proof of vaccination.
With ships docking elsewhere, the government of Florida risks losing millions of dollars from cruise tourism while port workers face job losses. This will have devastating results on the economy as the tourists get dropped off at other Caribbean ports. Within the two weeks given by the judge, the two groups will have worked out their differences to avert any risks that may arise from cruise lines moving out from the port of Miami.
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