On February 14, 2020, in Sydney, Australia, the Norwegian Jewel cruise ship was placed on lockdown as health officials tested a man for Coronavirus. Getty Images News | Getty Images Lisa Maree Williams Norwegian Cruise Line has filed a lawsuit against Florida’s surgeon general in an attempt to overturn a state statute that prohibits businesses from asking customers to produce confirmation of Covid-19 immunization. Norwegian has requested the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida to overturn the state’s ban and issue a preliminary injunction allowing the firm to resume sailing with the health and safety standards it devised in order to comply with CDC advice. Norwegian claimed in its court petition that the state’s ban jeopardizes its capacity to prevent the virus from spreading onboard its ships. As a result, it may be compelled to cancel future cruises, resulting in a “devastating, irrecoverable loss.” The company stated that it would prefer to require passengers to produce proof of vaccination, but that would be against Florida law, exposing it to prosecution and fines of up to $5,000 per passenger, which it cannot afford. “We feel Florida’s prohibition is in violation of federal law, public health, science, and is not in the best interests of our passengers, crew, and the communities we visit, therefore we have regrettably sought relief from the courts,” the firm said in a statement to CNBC. “With the exception of Florida, our policy of 100% immunization of passengers and crew is constant and in place without trouble in every port we sail from across the world.” Norwegian claimed in the court filing that the law violates the First Amendment by prohibiting businesses from communicating with their customers; illegally disrupts the proper flow of interstate and international commerce without a compelling state interest; and violates the Fourteenth Amendment by prohibiting businesses from protecting their employees and customers’ health and safety from the panda. One of the last industries to resume pre-pandemic operations is the cruise industry. There were several high-profile outbreaks on ships at the start of the health crisis, and public health officials are working to avoid a repeat. The CDC has approved the cruise line’s resumption of service, subject to severe health regulations. Sailings from Florida have been resumed by Royal Caribbean Cruises and Carnival Cruises. Unvaccinated guests must follow safety protocols and purchase travel insurance that covers Covid-19-related charges on those cruises, according to the two cruise lines. Norwegian’s stock fell 4.4 percent to $26.09 on Tuesday. Year to date, the stock has dropped almost 2.6 percent. Norwegian’s maiden sailing from a US port will take place on August 7, and its first sailing from Florida will take place on August 15. “Demand for [Norwegian] cruises has been recovering in recent months,” Norwegian told the court, “but [the firm] still confronts issues in maintaining customer faith in safety, especially because those customers tend to be older.”/n
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