Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Jul 14, 2025

Bon Voyage: Norwegian Cruise Line May Skip Florida Ports Due to COVID-19 Vaccine Passport Ban

Bon Voyage: Norwegian Cruise Line May Skip Florida Ports Due to COVID-19 Vaccine Passport Ban

On Monday, Florida Governor Ronald DeSantis signed SB 2006 - legislation which, in part, allows the governor to overrule local emergency rules. The Republican governor also signed executive orders that called for the immediate suspension of local COVID-19 restrictions, and introduced vaccine passport prohibitions.

During a Thursday earnings call with analysts, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio remarked that subsidiary Norwegian Cruise Line may be forced to run operations out of ports in other US states - or the Caribbean - if Florida maintains its statewide prohibition of vaccination documentation.

"It is a classic state-versus-federal-government issue," Del Rio said, as reported by the Associated Press. "Lawyers believe that federal law applies and not state law, but I’m not a lawyer. And we hope that this doesn’t become a legal football or a political football."

Del Rio explained that US law currently requires cruise lines operating in the country to confirm that most of the crew members and passengers have received the COVID-19 vaccine. However, new legislation in Florida would impede these efforts.

"We certainly hope it doesn't come to that," Del Rio said on Thursday.

Cruise ships have been blocked from leaving US ports since the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a "no-sail" edict in March 2020. Recent CDC guidance details that cruise ships may return to US waters if they can prove 95% of the passengers, and 98% of the ship's crew are vaccinated against COVID-19.

SB 2006, dubbed 'Emergency Management,' authorizes Florida's governor to "invalidate certain emergency orders" and restricts local emergency orders to 7 days, unless a governing body issues a majority vote to extend. If approved, emergency orders are then subject to 7-day increments that cannot exceed more than 42 days in total.

Additionally, Executive Order 21-101 extended a previous order that blocked requirements for vaccine documentation or "vaccine passports," and Executive Order 21-102 invalidated all remaining local emergency orders on individuals and businesses.

"This legislation ensures that legal safeguards are in place so that local governments cannot arbitrarily close our schools or businesses," DeSantis said on Monday, after signing all three bills into law. "In Florida, your personal choice regarding vaccinations will be protected and no business or government entity will be able to deny you services based on your decision."

SB 2006 goes into effect on July 1.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
×