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Royal Caribbean International crew waiting to be vaccinated at PortMiami earlier this month, part of a partnership between the port and the line to vaccinate crew ahead of major ship relaunches.
With the CDC s recent commitment to a mid-July cruise restart from U.S. ports, cruise lines are facing what is predicted to be a daunting challenge: vaccinating their tens of thousands of crew members.
It is not a challenge specific to the U.S. Cruise lines are ramping up their return to service plans in Europe and the Caribbean on ships that will launch prior to any from the States, and they must get the crew on those ships vaccinated even sooner.
Port Canaveral began sponsoring a COVID-19 vaccine distribution for port workers and vessel crew members on Friday, becoming the first port in the United States to implement its own vaccination model. Port officials say as many as 1,000 shots may be given each day. The distribution began after a Florida Public Health Advisory approved by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Scott A. Rivkees expanded vaccine eligibility to people who are in the state to provide goods or services for residents and visitors. This expanded eligibility is significantly important for our cruise tourism business, and we re proud of our efforts to help get this industry up and running, Capt. John Murray, Port CEO, said in a statement. The distribution is the result of a partnership between Port Canaveral and Parrish Healthcare. We have been working closely with our cruise partners, the Florida Department of Health, and our port community to come up with a plan and timeline of vaccinating cru
Port Canaveral Begins to Vaccinate Crew Members and Port Workers
Photo Credit: Solarisys / Shutterstock.com
Port Canaveral has become the first port in the U.S. to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine to port workers and ship crew members. This comes after the CDC sent a letter to the cruise industry detailing new guidelines, which included the need for 98% of crew and 95% of passengers to be fully vaccinated.
Port Canaveral to Offer Vaccinations
The second busiest cruise port in the world will now be able to offer its workers and vessel crew members vaccinations due to the Florida Public Health Advisory approved by Florida Governor Ron Desantis and Surgeon General Scott A. Rivkees, MD issued on April 29.