Norwegian Cruise May Require Florida Passengers to Be Vaccinated, Judge Says

Norwegian Cruise Line said on Sunday that a federal judge has ruled to temporarily suspend the application of a Florida law prohibiting companies from requiring customers to show proof of vaccination.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams has granted the preliminary injunction, allowing Norwegian to demand vaccination documents from clients as the case heads to trial. Norwegian Gem is scheduled to depart Miami on August 15. This is the cruise line’s first trip from the state since the pandemic interrupted the cruise industry’s operations more than a year ago.

Infection levels in Florida have increased 51% in the past seven days, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The state reported 134,506 new cases of Covid from July 30 to August 5, more than any other 7-day period tracked by JHU, and the positivity of new cases is 18.9%.

“It’s scary what’s going on in Florida,” Derek Shaffer, an attorney for Norwegian Cruise Line, said in a hearing on Friday asking for the injunction. “All of Florida is a hot spot… All we do is try to protect our staff and our passengers.”

Norwegian CEO Frank Del Rio said the company is trying to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.

“The health and safety of our guests, our crew and the communities we visit is our number one priority, today, tomorrow and forever,” Del Rio said in a statement Sunday. “This is not a slogan or slogan, we believe it strongly and our commitment to these principles is demonstrated by our company’s efforts to provide the safest possible cruise experience from Florida.”

Florida attorney Pete Patterson said the law protects customers’ civil liberties and prevents companies from discriminating against unvaccinated people on Friday.

“You can’t discriminate against customers based on their refusal to give you information,” Patterson said.

Had the cruise line not received the injunction and continued to request proof of vaccination for the next trip, it could have been subject to lawsuits and fines of up to $ 5,000 per passenger in under Florida law.

In his argument, Shaffer said that “no cruise line in Norwegian’s position can afford” a fine of this amount. Shaffer said the Florida legislature wanted to “score political points” in the vaccination debate.

If the law remains in force, the cruise line could be forced to cancel upcoming cruises or “navigate in a way that is worse for our passengers and crew,” Shaffer said.

The company, which operates the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands, filed a lawsuit against the Florida Surgeon General in July to challenge the law.

Norwegian’s attorney said the company had waited to file a lawsuit until a federal appeals court ruled on another Florida case against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The court sided with Florida, which said the CDC’s cruise ship regulations were too onerous and cost it millions of dollars in tax revenue.

The cruise line plans to require all guests and crew on its trips to be fully vaccinated and will ask them to pass Covid-19 tests before boarding.

Norwegian said on Friday that its second-quarter loss reached $ 717.8 million, or $ 1.94 per share, on revenue of $ 4.37 million. The company said it expects it to continue recording losses until the cruise line is able to resume regular travel.