[ad_1]
- The Florida governor has said the state could sue the federal government if the CDC doesn’t allow the U.S. cruise industry to restart soon.
- The U.S. cruise industry has been inactive even as coronavirus vaccinations and testing gain momentum.
- US cruises are not expected to leave until May at the earliest.
- See more stories on the Insider business page.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and State Attorney General Ashley Moody have said they will consider filing a lawsuit against the federal government for its current restriction on the cruise industry.
In a panel discussion with cruise industry executives on Friday, Moody said the state was weighing its legal options against the Biden administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to keep the cruise industry at bay. slowed amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In October, the CDC announced a new framework for sailing that requires cruises to undergo onboard tests and complete mock voyages and many other requirements before they can restart in U.S. ports. The industry was shut down a year ago after several coronavirus outbreaks broke out on cruise ships.
“You can’t have an agency shutting down an entire industry on the basis of out-of-date arbitrary and capricious decisions and therefore we will take all the necessary legal steps,” Moody said.
The panel discussion included CEOs from Norwegian, Carnival, MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Line, according to Orlando Sentinel.
DeSantis, a Republican who has reopened all businesses and eliminated fines for people refusing to wear masks as COVID-19 tore the state apart last year, said the cruise industry had stayed on too long in slow motion.
“If you don’t want to give the green light, you have to explain why anywhere else in the world can do it,” DeSantis said during the discussion. “Is it okay for the government to let an industry idle for a year with no end in sight? I mean, it was never legislated by anyone.”
The US cruise industry has been inactive even as vaccinations and testing gain momentum. Cruise lines from other countries have resumed travel, and industry advocates say cruising does not pose a greater risk of coronavirus transmission than flying.
A statement from the Florida governor’s office said on Friday that the US government had failed to provide relief funds to seaports “while airports and transit agencies received aid in the form of relief packages.”
US cruises are not expected to leave until May at the earliest. Royal Caribbean Cruises President and CEO Michael Bayley called the situation “devastating,” according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Florida is home to some of the busiest ports in the world, including Miami, Port Canaveral near the Kennedy Space Center, and Port Everglades near Fort Lauderdale.
As of August 2020, Florida has lost an estimated $ 2.3 billion in wages and 49,500 jobs due to the cruise industry shutdown due to the pandemic, according to a September 2020 report from the Federal Maritime Commission .
“We’re the most crippled by what they’re doing with this nationwide cruise lockdown, and so we’re free of it, you’re going to be able to see maybe tens of thousands, maybe 100,000 more people going back to work. ”DeSantis said.
The CDC did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
According to the Associated Press, some experts say it is still too early for cruise ships to resume operations due to proximity to ships and other potential issues.
Cargo and cruise operations at the Port of Jacksonville in Florida generate approximately 139,300 Florida jobs and more than $ 31.1 billion in annual economic impact, Eric Green, CEO of JAXPORT, said in a statement this month. .
[ad_2]
Source link