"DeSantis for the win" -- spouting his usual nonsense. In a few days we get to see what the reality is when the first fully vaccinated cruises set sail from Florida. DeSantis faces questions about cruise industry during bill signing in South Florida https://www.local10.com/news/local/...ndustry-during-bill-signing-in-south-florida/ More cruise lines are getting ready to set sail soon, but they still face a big battle in Florida over vaccinations. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was in South Florida for a bill signing on Monday, and afterwards while walking through a sea of supporters, came a cruise question, as the state’s $8 billion cruise industry prepares to re-launch from a year of a pandemic shut down. Asked by Local 10 News’ Glenna Milberg if there was a workaround for the cruise industry to begin without violating his orders, the governor gave this response: “The question is CDC’s orders and we’re challenging CDC. That hearing went very well for us and I think we’re going to be successful when the judge rules.” The governor has asked a judge to halt the CDC’s vaccination requirements for cruise passengers. He also banned companies from requiring proof of vaccination. That left Florida-based cruise lines, and the 600,000 people whose livelihoods depend on it, charting a course through complicated waters. “I think what’s gonna happen is, the CDC is going to get peeled back,” DeSantis said. “They’re going to have the ability to sail. They’re going to be able to sail consistent with Florida law. They all tell us they are ready to go.” Companies are ready and heavily booking. Celebrity plans to sail from Fort Lauderdale on June 26, the first post-pandemic departure in the United States. Celebrity and Norwegian Cruise Line both say they will require vaccines, which, in Florida, could come with a $5,000 fine for each passenger they ask for proof. “Remember, had I not brought this suit, nothing would be happening right now,” DeSantis said. “It was totally dead. CDC wasn’t budging. But we lit a fire.”
Unvaccinated cruises won't be sailing from Florida anytime soon. DeSantis probably upset that he won't be able to take credit for imposing his will on cruise lines -- because it was COVID break-outs onboard among those who were not fully vaccinated which brought the RCL cruise from Florida to an abrupt halt. Royal Caribbean is the only cruise line which was attempting cruises from Florida with no 95% vaccinated passengers mandate. Royal Caribbean cruise ship launch, sailings postponed after crew members test positive for COVID-19 https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...mbers-positive-covid-odyssey-seas/7710633002/ Royal Caribbean International is postponing the inaugural sailings of its newest cruise ship after eight crew members received positive COVID-19 test results during routine testing. The Odyssey of the Seas initial sailings, which the cruise line had laid out as six- and eight-night Southern and Western Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from July 3 to July 31, are being canceled out of an abundance of caution, Royal Caribbean spokesperson Lyan Sierra-Caro told USA TODAY. The ship's launch will be postponed until July 31, when the first sailing with paying passengers, is now scheduled to depart. Four sailings were scrapped in total. A test cruise originally slated by the company to leave in late June, though it hadn't yet received CDC approval to sail, is on track to be rescheduled at a date to be later announced, according to Sierra-Caro. Those who had planned to sail with the ship “will be notified and given several options to consider,” Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley said in a Facebook post. All 1,400 crew members on Odyssey were vaccinated on June 4, but the positive cases were found before the vaccines would be considered fully effective June 18. Of the eight crew members who tested positive, six are asymptomatic and two have mild symptoms. They were all quarantined and are being monitored by Royal Caribbean’s medical team, according to Bayley's post. All crew members are set to quarantine for 14 days, and the cruise line plans to continue weekly routine testing. “While disappointing, this is the right decision for the health and well-being of our crew and guests,” Bayley said in the post. The ship had originally been set for an inaugural sailing from Haifa, Israel, on June 2, which was canceled due to unrest in the region. Seven other Royal Caribbean ships are slated to set sail from ports in Texas, Florida and Seattle this summer. Passengers aboard most Royal Caribbean cruises are “strongly recommended” to be fully vaccinated, and those who are unvaccinated or unable to verify their vaccinations will need to undergo testing and follow other protocols. Those aboard Alaskan-bound ships in July who are 16 and older must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The age requirement drops to 12 starting Aug. 1.
'DeSantis for the win" -- Grounding the cruise industry to pander to his base. Cruise industry tanks: DeSantis' mixed messaging leaves business grounded Now that worldwide medical establishments have a handle on COVID-19, it’s time to move America’s cruise industry back to the forefront of travel. https://www.usatoday.com/story/opin...uise-industry-devastated-pandemic/7643544002/ A court case in Florida might not only decide the financial fate of America’s cruise industry, in ports from Miami to Anchorage, but also the political fate of a governor (and 2024 presidential contender) who now finds himself caught in its wake. Beyond the lawsuit, the overriding issue is whether cruise lines can mandate vaccinations and other safety measures if they conflict with state law. Meanwhile, an industry nearly shuttered by COVID-19 is held at anchor while solutions are held at bay. Florida, home to the world’s largest cruise terminal Port Miami (with 6.8 million annual passengers,22 cruise lines pre-pandemic),is at the epicenter of this square-off over who gets to make the call – the federal government, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state or the companies themselves. Remember, it has been more than a year since images of the Diamond Princess cruise ship signaled a worldwide pandemic. Diamond Princess makes headlines Although overwhelmed hospitals and understaffed nursing homes bore the brunt of public attention, the first unshakeable images of sick and quarantined passengers aboard the Diamond Princess dominated the headlines. The cruise industry became COVID-19 enemy No. 1. Cue the CDC. Charged with protecting the nation’s health, its officials made a quick (and wise) decision to shut the cruise industry down until medical science would ensure this contagion could be limited and controlled on these floating cities. Ultimately, the North American passenger shipping industry was banned from operating from any U.S. ports for over a year,causing untold economic pain to these companies, their vendors and the more than 436,000 employees who rely on cruising to feed their families and pay their bills. As miserable as this has been, it doesn’t compare with the pain and suffering many more could have endured if the CDC hadn’t taken measures to pause American cruise operations until deemed safe. The worldwide medical establishment needed time to get a handle on this virus, how it spread so fast, to create a successful protocol for testing and treatment, and a tested vaccine for distribution. Officials have now checked all four boxes. It’s time to move America’s cruise industry – like the airlines – back to the forefront of travel. More than 50% of all Americans are now partially or fully vaccinated, and the CDC has moved in methodical fashion to allow cruise ships to sail from, and call on, American ports. The industry also had the support of public champions from both sides of the political aisle who understand that jobs, affordable family vacations and beautiful oceans are neither Republican or Democrat. They belong to all of us. Yet when partisan politics get in the way of good intentions, policies and people suffer needlessly. Exhibit A: Florida. First, Gov. Ron DeSantis uses a libertarian, free-market approach to keep the state open while others closed shut. Now he’s doing an about-face, dictating rules to ailing cruise companies who want to set sail swiftly and safely. DeSantis: CDC delayed the restart of Florida's cruise sector DeSantis used to prize the power of the marketplace. Now he’s focused on his own. After failing to assist the cruise industry,the governor then took aim at the CDC, claiming that its “arbitrary and capricious” actions were responsible for delaying the restart of Florida’s cruise sector. Most major cruise line executives were stunned by the governor’s legal action, fearing it might provoke this crucial federal agency to dig in its heels. In truth, at the time of the suit, the CDC had already begun expediting moves to safely restart cruising routed into one of two pathways. One would ensure at least 95% of guests were vaccinated. The other was far more encumbering. It mandated test cruises, multiple and redundant COVID testing, wearing masks full time, major social distancing,reduced occupancies, limited shore excursions and other unachievable – and economically unfeasible – hurdles. This option would have rendered cruising unenjoyable and the business uneconomical. Clearly the CDC had a preference, signaling to the cruise lines in flashing neon lights: Vaccinate your passengers!!! Yet the governor ignored this message, and the pleas of the cruise lines, passing a new law prohibiting any Florida company from requiring proof of vaccination.It forces the industry into a Catch-22 conundrum: Either violate Florida law and resume cruising successfully, or stay in the good graces of both the governor and CDC by obeying a law that will alienate your guests with an unrecognizable cruise experience and force a debt-laden, Florida-centric industry down a longer road to recovery. There is a third choice. The governor could go back to his pro-business, pro-Florida, marketplace-driven bearings by advocating an exemption or modification to this law to safeguard the nearly 159,000 cruise-related Florida jobs now in jeopardy, and protect America’s reputation as the world’s best home port. While the judgment of the federal trial in Tampa may not be known yet, the verdict from the court of public opinion – fueled by millions of cruise line passengers, hundreds of thousands of workers and thousands of businesses – is already in. As the words from an old Mills Brothers song warns: “You always hurt the one you love, The one you shouldn't hurt at all.” Anchors aweigh, Governor. Let America – and Americans – cruise. Do that, and you’ll be remembered for doing right when it counted the most for those who needed it the most.
As COVID-19 cases rise to new peaks in Florida - Gov. DeSantis once again downplays the threat. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Downplays The Coronavirus Delta ‘Variant Of Concern’ https://miami.cbslocal.com/2021/06/15/florida-gov-ron-desantis-downplays-coronavirus-variant-delta/
Is Florida COVID data activist Rebekah Jones grifter or hero, villain or role model, liar or whistleblower? Maybe all of the above. https://www.orlandoweekly.com/orlan...r-maybe-all-of-the-above/Content?oid=29505424
Let's see nursing homes are doing in Florida -- now that DeSantis has stopped tracking and reporting data on them in his attempts to hide COVID reality. Guess we won't hear Tsing Tao chiming in on Florida nursing homes anytime soon seeing Floridas nursing homes have over double the death rate of those in North Carolina in the AARP report. Florida nursing homes report COVID-19 infection rates nearly double the national average https://nbc-2.com/news/health/2021/...ion-rates-nearly-double-the-national-average/ Coronavirus cases are increasing in Florida nursing homes, according to recently released data. The Florida AARP says that 19% of Florida nursing homes are reporting new COVID-19 cases in the last four weeks. That number has increased by 5% since mid-May, according to the data. “Not only are new reports of nursing home resident cases on the rise, but nearly 50% of Florida nursing homes continue to report new cases of COVID-19 among staff at these facilities.” Said Dionne Polite, the AARP Florida interim state director. “Encouraging vaccination of Florida’s long-term care workers must remain a priority.” Florida’s nursing homes are seeing COVID-19 infections at nearly double the national average. The AARP says nationally 10% of nursing homes are reporting new cases in the last month. For more information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Florida, visit the NBC-2 Vax Facts page.
Poll shows vast majority of Floridians disagree on DeSantis policy, think it’s OK to require COVID-19 vaccinations for cruise passengers https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/p...0210616-qaiozhbvurhrplkwh5fuvyeoqa-story.html More than three-quarters of Floridians in a poll released Wednesday disagree with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ policy banning cruise lines from requiring passengers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. The survey, conducted by the University of South Florida School of Public Affairs, found just 24% said cruise lines should not be allowed to require guests to show proof of vaccination — which is Gov. Ron DeSantis’ position. A plurality, 43%, said it should be mandatory for passengers to provide proof of vaccination on all cruises that port in Florida. And another 33% said it should be up to individual cruise lines. Neither of those options is allowed under rules championed and signed into law by DeSantis. As with many aspects of the coronavirus pandemic, there’s a huge political divide. Support for mandatory vaccination was almost double among Democrats than Republicans. The issue has evolved into a legal and political battle between DeSantis and the federal Centers for Disease Control, centering on whether state or federal authority governs cruises that use Florida ports. Cruise ships became an early face of the coronavirus pandemic last year when infections were spreading quickly on board and some ships had trouble finding places that would allow them to dock and disembark passengers. On Tuesday, Royal Caribbean said the inaugural sailings of its Odyssey of the Seas cruise ship, scheduled from Port Everglades in July, have been postponed after eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19. The USF poll found support for mandatory vaccinations was strongest when it came to cruises, but somewhat less about the state’s other big tourism draw: theme parks. Theme parks should not be allowed to require guests to show proof of vaccination — 31%. Should be up to individual parks whether they want to require proof of vaccination — 40%. Should be mandatory for guests to provide proof of vaccination for all theme parks in Florida — 30%. Political divide Democrats and Republicans held sharply divergent views on the issue of cruise passenger vaccinations. Independents and people registered in minor political parties were generally closer to Republicans on the issue. Cruise lines should not be allowed to require guest to show proof of vaccination — Democrats, 12%; Independents, 29%; Republicans, 37%. Up to individual cruise lines — Democrats, 31%; Independents, 37%; Republicans 33%. Mandatory to show proof of vaccination on all cruises that port in Florida — Democrats, 58%; Independents, 34%; Republicans, 30%. There was also a political split on the question of vaccination requirements for theme parks, but it wasn’t as pronounced as it was for cruises. Mandatory vaccination for theme park guests was supported by 39% of Democrats, 25% of Independents and 21% of Republican. Banning theme parks from requiring vaccinations had support of 16% of Democrats, 37% of Independents 46% of Republicans. Other findings Employers: A majority of people USF polled, 67%, said Florida business should be allowed to require employees to be fully vaccinated before returning to work; 33% disagreed. Schools and colleges: A majority of respondents, 61.5%, said pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade schools should require students to be vaccinated before the fall; 38.5% disagreed. Support was higher, 69%, for Florida colleges and universities requiring students to be fully vaccinated before returning to campus; 31% disagreed. Vaccine hesitancy: Among who haven’t been vaccinated, 55% said they would “probably not” or “definitely not” get vaccinated. Another 24% were undecided. The biggest reasons cited by people who probably or definitely will not get vaccinates is concern about potential side effects or that the vaccines were created too quickly. Misinformation: The survey researchers found 73% of Floridians saw or heard one of eight common COVID-19 misinformation themes during the last six months. The most common were that the vaccines contain a “live strain” of the virus(43%), the vaccines “contain 5G Microchips” (39%), and the vaccines “modify people’s genes and alter their DNA” (36%). The more misinformation people encountered, the less likely they were to be vaccinated. People who didn’t report encountering any of the misinformation themes were more likely to be vaccinated. The fine print The University of South Florida survey involved 600 adult Floridians. It was conducted through an online web panel from June 3-14. USF researchers said the survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. That means a result that shows 50% could be a range of 46% to 54%. The sample size for smaller groups, such as Democrats, Republicans and independents, is smaller and the margin of error is higher. Online web panels, which the American Association for Public Opinion Research describes as a sample of people who have agreed to complete surveys via the Internet, are becoming more common as more and more people are reluctant to answer phone calls.
Fortunately, Ron DeSantis doesn't govern according to polls. Rather, he is a true leader and will be president in the not too distant future.
DeSantis finally got a win -- but it is a short-term pyrrhic victory. The federal judge ordered that the CDC rollback its “conditional sail order” (COVID regulations) for cruises from Florida after July 18th. However the market has already applied a lesson to cruise lines that their customers will only accept fully vaccinated cruises. Royal Caribbean which attempted to allow non fully vaccinated cruises had over 50% of their customers un-book and demand their money back according the travel agents. A recent survey in Florida showed that over 75% of its residents supported fully vaccinated cruises and opposed the governor's policy. Federal judge throws out CDC’s cruise safety regulations, handing win to DeSantis https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article252215988.html A federal judge threw out U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention safety rules for cruise companies operating in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic Friday, handing a victory to Gov. Ron DeSantis. In a 124-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday of the Middle District of Florida said the agency’s “conditional sail order” — a framework of regulations dictating how cruises can restart in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic — can remain in place for Florida cruises only until July 18, granting DeSantis’ request for a preliminary injunction while the full case moves forward. After July 18, the rules will turn into non-binding recommendations for cruise companies. The CDC has until July 2 to propose a more limited set of cruise regulations to the court. The decision comes as Royal Caribbean International’s Freedom of the Seas ship is scheduled to perform the first test cruise under the CDC’s industry restart plan from PortMiami on Sunday. The first cruise ship carrying paying passengers, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Edge, is scheduled to depart from Port Everglades on June 26. No cruises have left U.S. ports with passengers since March 2020. “Today’s ruling is a victory for the hardworking Floridians whose livelihoods depend on the cruise industry,” said Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody in a statement. “The federal government does not, nor should it ever, have the authority to single out and lock down an entire industry indefinitely.” The CDC published its conditional sail order in October, outlining four phases to get cruises up and running again amid the pandemic. Companies first had to expand COVID-19 testing capabilities on their ships and report weekly test results for crew members. The agency waited five months to issue instructions for the second phase, requiring companies to secure agreements with ports and local health authorities in the U.S. cities they planned to visit. Frustrated with the delay, DeSantis sued the CDC on April 8 arguing that the cruise companies should be able to resume cruises immediately without any CDC oversight. The state’s complaint said the agency is unfairly targeting the cruise industry by preventing it from operating since March 2020, and preventing Florida from collecting important tax revenue. The CDC argued it has broad authority to protect public health and regulate cruise business. This story will be updated.