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- Norwegian Cruise Line is in dispute with the State of Florida in a United States federal district court.
- The company sued the state over its anti-vaccine documentation law.
- Norwegian requires that all staff and customers show proof of immunity and be vaccinated.
Norwegian Cruise Line on Friday asked a federal judge to challenge Florida’s vaccination passport ban due to the cruise line’s own vaccination passport policy, adding that it would refuse to leave Miami until the state law be changed.
According to Reuters, lawyers for the company said the law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis was enacted to score “political points.”
Florida’s anti-vaccine passport law prohibits government entities, private businesses, or schools from requiring proof of COVID-19 immunity.
Under the law and as it stands as part of the legal challenge launched by Norwegian Cruise Line, if it enforces the vaccine documentation, the company could be fined $ 5,000 for each passenger. refused for lack of proof of immunity. A Norwegian Cruise Line ship is scheduled to depart Miami on August 15.
According to Reuters, in a hearing Friday, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams questioned the Florida attorney, asking why lawmakers haven’t banned companies from forcing vaccines on workers.
“Don’t you think it is strange that the law does not concern itself with the discrimination of state employees who are here in Florida but focuses on the bosses of a company, who in this case are sailing to other ports of call? ” Williams said.
Florida has faced a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, with hospitalizations reaching record levels.
“Put simply, the NCLH cannot sail as planned unless and until the Florida ban gives way,” lawyers for Norwegian Cruise Line wrote in court documents filed in mid-July.
“An abnormal and ill-advised intrusion threatens to spoil NCLH’s careful planning and force it to cancel or obstruct upcoming cruises, thus endangering and altering passenger experiences and inflicting irreparable damage of vast dimensions,” said added the legal team.
Norwegian Cruise Line along with other companies closed their cruise operations in March 2020 following several outbreaks of COVID-19 and after a “No Sail” order implemented by the CDC.
On August 7, Norwegian’s first post-closure cruise will depart from the Port of Seattle, bound for Alaska. Norwegian’s policy, articulated in its lawsuit against Florida and confirmed at the CDC, is that 100% of customers and staff must be vaccinated and show proof of vaccination.
“Our 100% vaccination policy, coupled with pre-board guest testing and routine crew testing, is in place smoothly in the nearly 500 ports to and from the world, with the exception of Florida ports, ”CEO Frank Del Rio said on a results call, according to Reuters.
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