Mayor of Miami on attempt to resume sailing
Republican senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio of Florida, as well as Dan Sullivan of Alaska, enacted legislation Tuesday to begin the move as COVID-19 cases begin to decline and resume travel.
The Careful Rehabilitation Under Improved Safety Improvement Act (CRUISE) will repeal the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “No Sailing Order,” signed in March, which prevents passengers from boarding cruise ships in an effort to curb the virus.
“Florida is a tourism state with thousands of jobs relying on the success of our ports, cruise lines and maritime industries. Although many sectors of the economy have been operating safely under CDC guidelines for months, Floridians and those across the country are relying on the cruise industry for work, continues to wait for updated guidance from the CDC, ‘Scott said in a statement.
FILE – This Saturday, April 4, 2020, file photo, Carnival cruise ship Carnival Magic, was captured in Port Canaveral, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo / John Raoux, File)
He added that the “CDC’s refusal to properly address this closure is wrong and that it is time to safely open the fairways.”
FLORIDA GOV. RON DESANTIS THREATENS TO COMPLAIN US ABOUT CRUISE SHIP BAN
The CDC issued an initial framework in October for the ‘phase resumption’ of shipping operations in the US, although the agency extended its “No Sail Order” until 1 November.
Rubio sent a letter to White House COVID-19 Response Director Jeffrey Zients in March about the move, but the CDC has not yet responded, according to a press release.
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“The benefits of cruise operations are integral to the economies of Florida’s port cities,” Rubio said in a statement. “Floridians and many other Americans employed at ports, cruise operators, or working in hospitality work near cruise terminals face an uncertain future because the CDC does not respond to requests for guidance from interest groups.”
Sullivan noted that the cruise line industry did not receive as much federal aid as the aviation and railroad industry.
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“As a result, potential voyages have been abandoned this summer, when the president said the country would be able to return to normal with more and more Americans being vaccinated,” the Alaska senator said. “The footsteps, mixed messages and irresponsibility of CDC leaders are totally unacceptable and ultimately endanger the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Americans and hundreds of small businesses in Alaska that rely on the tourism sector.”
Florida Republican Representative María Elvira Salazar launched the House version of the bill on April 9th.