We have already reported on MSC Cruises’ Covid 19 vaccination program. Vaccinations for the crew members of the cruise ships are now also starting in the USA. Here, however, it is the major ports that are launching the appropriate programs to finally get business up and running again.
These initiatives were made possible by a decree from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Last week he approved the extension of immunization eligibility to “reside in the state of Florida to provide goods or services for the benefit of Florida residents.”
Port Canaveral was the first port to offer crew members a Covid-19 vaccine. According to a broadcast, up to 1,000 Covid-19 vaccinations per day could be made available for the crews of the cruise ships from now on.
The port of Miami also wants to vaccinate at least 900 crew members in the coming week. Part of the crew on board Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas has already received the first stab. The crew of the Liberty of the Seas and the Celebrity Equinox should follow in the next few days.
Carnival is again taking advantage of an offer from the port of Galveston in Texas and plans to have the crews of Carnival Breeze and Carnival Vista vaccinated here next week. The crew of Carnival Paradise has already received their Covid-19 vaccination from the government of Barbados.
The US health authority CDC only informed the cruise companies last week that the first ships could be put back into service as early as mid-July 2021 if 98 percent of the crew and 95 percent of the passengers on board had been vaccinated against Covid-19. Then the otherwise required test cruises and other hurdles that would delay the restart for weeks could be eliminated.
Getting the crew members to be vaccinated is likely to be the least of the problems: According to a survey of Royal Caribbean crew members, more than 98 percent are willing to be vaccinated in order to be able to work again. In most cases, vaccination would not be possible for many months in their home countries.
–
