With an apparent impasse between Florida, whose law, recently passed, makes it a $5000-per-passenger crime to ask anyone if they’ve been vaccinated and a cruise industry that’s anxious to sail but needs CDC safety signoffs, some unusual solutions are in the works.
The first, announced by Celebrity and its parent, Royal Caribbean, appear designed to give unvaccinated passengers a big incentive to go get their shots. The two lines have announced rules for unvaccinated passengers, and it says they will apply to vaccinated passengers who don’t voluntarily show their proof.
- Among the restrictions:
They will be restricted to a fixed dining time and seated in a restricted section of the dining room. - Some activities and venues on the ship will be off-limits
- Theater shows will be limited for unvaccinated
- Masks will be required at all times except while actually eating or drinking
- Only ship-organized shore visits will be permitted.
- Additional testing will be required (costing $178)
Unvaccinated passengers will have their onboard access cards marked with a punch to control access to restricted areas. The line is willing to cancel for a full refund if passengers object to the rules.
Ye Gods! Whatever next?
Sounds like another industry with a “terrific” business plan! No cruise business in 2020 and with these rules, I expect a 50% drop in pre-pandemic levels for what’s left of 2021.
I’ve chosen to be vaccinated for reasons of my own. Everyone needs to decide this for themselves. Having been vaccinated, I am unafraid to go into the world without a mask and am willing to risk interacting with those who don’t want to be vaccinated and who are also maskless. This is because I believe that the vaccines are effective. “Following the science” so to speak.
I think you’ve missed the point of the article, doctor! This situation isn’t what the cruise industry wants; it’s where they’ve been left between the mandates of CDC and the obstruction of Florida’s governor.CDC offered cruise lines two options to get sailing again: Either a cautious and complicated path that required unpaid test cruises and more, or a quick OK if crew and passengers were vaccinated. And then Florida banned finding out if the passengers were vaccinated.The untenable situation that the lines are creating, as described, is clearly not how they intend to sail—it is how they intend to pressure for a real solution.As for individual choice: we have a whole lot of other vaccines that are routine and mandatory, and in this era, Covid-19 should be one of them. Just don’t start me off on how I feel about people who place ‘choice’ over public health.