Norwegian Cruise Line is suing Florida over its law blocking 'vaccine passports'. Now the company says it won't sail from the state until the law is canceled.
Azmi Haroun | Publié le
- Norwegian Cruise Line is wrangling with the State of Florida in a US District Federal Court.
- The company sued the state over its anti-vaccine documentation law.
- Norwegian requires all staff and customers to show proof of immunity and be vaccinated.
- See more stories on Insider's business page .
Norwegian Cruise Line asked a federal judge on Friday to challenge Florida's vaccine passport ban due to the cruise company's own vaccine passport policy, adding that it would refuse to sail out from Miami until the state's law is changed.
According to Reuters, lawyers for the company said the law Gov. Ron DeSantis signed was enacted to score "political points."
Florida's anti-vaccine passport law disallows government entities, private businesses or schools from requiring proof of COVID-19 immunity.
Under the law and as things stand in the legal challenge mounted by Norwegian Cruise Line, if they enforce vaccine documentation, the company could be fined $5,000 for each passenger who is turned away for lacking proof of immunity. A Norwegian Cruise Line ship is scheduled to sail out of Miami on August 15.
According to Reuters, at a Friday hearing, US District Judge Kathleen Williams questioned Florida's lawyer, asking why lawmakers did not ban companies from mandating vaccines for workers.
"Don't you think it's odd the statute doesn't worry about discrimination of the state's employees who are here in Florida but is focused on patrons of a business, who in this case, are sailing away to other ports of call?" Williams said.
Florida has dealt with a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases over the past weeks, with hospitalizations hitting record levels.
"Simply stated, NCLH cannot sail as planned unless and until Florida's Ban gives way," Norwegian Cruise Line's lawyers wrote in court documents filed in mid-July.
"One anomalous, misguided intrusion threatens to spoil NCLH's careful planning and force it to cancel or hobble upcoming cruises, thereby imperiling and impairing passengers' experiences and inflicting irreparable harm of vast dimensions," the legal team added.
Norwegian Cruise Line as well as other companies shut down cruise operations in March 2020 following multiple COVID-19 outbreaks, and after a "No Sail," order implemented by the CDC.
On August 7, Norwegian's first post-shutdown cruise will leave from Seattle's port, heading to Alaska. Norwegian's policy, articulated in their suit against Florida and confirmed to the CDC, is that 100% of customers and staff must be vaccinated and show proof of vaccination.
"Our policy of 100% vaccinations, coupled with preboarding testing of guests and routine testing of crew, is in place without issue in the nearly 500 ports we sail to and from around the world, except Florida ports," CEO Frank Del Rio said on an earnings call, according to Reuters.
Via PakApNews