A federal judge has granted Norwegian Cruise Line's request to temporarily require Florida customers to show proof of vaccination before boarding any of its vessels. The company said Monday that the judge already approved the preliminary injunction.
Under a recently imposed law in Florida, businesses are not allowed to require customers to present proof of vaccination. The approved injunction will temporarily exempt Norwegian Cruise Line from the law while the case heads to trial.
Derek Shaffer, an attorney representing Norwegian Cruise Line, said the request for the injunction was the company's way of protecting its staff and all of its customers. Over the last week, the infection rate in Florida had jumped by more than 51%.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, Florida had 134,506 new COVID-19 cases from July 30 to Aug. 5. Shaffer said Florida was fast becoming a COVID-19 hotspot, describing the situation in the state as "scary."
Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Frank Del Rio echoed Shaffer's sentiments and said that the health and safety of the company's guests are its top priority. He added that the move to seek an injunction demonstrates how far the company would go to protect its staff and customers.
Florida attorney Pete Patterson disagrees with the company's reasoning. He said the law was imposed to protect customer's civil liberties. He added that companies must not be allowed to discriminate against customers just because they refuse to provide proof of vaccination.
If Norwegian Cruise Line proceeded to require proof of customers without the injunction, it would have violated state law. Without approval, the company would have been subject to prosecution and a fine of up to $5,000 per passenger.
Shaffer said, if the company's request was not approved, it would have been forced to cancel its upcoming cruises as it did not want to endanger the lives of its crew and customers.
Norwegian Cruise Line, which also operates Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, filed a lawsuit against Florida last month to challenge the law barring it from requiring proof of vaccination.
With the approval, the company said it will now require all guests and crew to be fully vaccinated. It will also require them to undergo COVID-19 tests before boarding its vessels.
