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Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd says that the US Federal Court has ruled in favour of NCL asking for proof of vaccinations, with NCL operating the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands.

The report says that Judge Williams in Florida’s Federal Court has ruled in its favour granting a preliminary injunction which paves the way for the Company’s three brands to require documentation confirming a guest’s vaccination status prior to boarding.

NCL says that this order will now allow the Company to operate in the safest way possible with 100% vaccination of all guests and crew when sailing from Florida ports, with nothing taking priority over the health and safety of the Company’s guests, crew and the communities visited and its commitment to them is paramount.

The Company’s first sailing from Florida is scheduled on August 15, 2021 on Norwegian Gem departing from Miami with Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd saying, “The health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit is our number one priority, today, tomorrow and forever”, adding, “It’s not a slogan or a tagline, we fiercely mean it and our commitment to these principles is demonstrated by the lengths our Company has gone through to provide the safest possible cruise experience from Florida”.

He added, “We want nothing more than to sail from Miami, the Cruise Capital of the World, and from the other fabulous Florida ports and we welcome today’s ruling that allows us to sail with 100% fully vaccinated guests and crew which we believe is the safest and most prudent way to resume cruise operations amid this global pandemic,” and “The public health environment continues to evolve around the globe and our robust science-backed health and safety protocols, with vaccines at its cornerstone, allow us to provide what we believe is the safest vacation experience for people who long to get back to their everyday lives and explore the world once again.”

Daniel S. Farkas, executive vice president and general counsel of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd said, “We are pleased that Judge Williams saw the facts, the law and the science as we did and granted the Company’s motion for a preliminary injunction allowing us to operate cruises from Florida with 100% vaccinated guests and crew,” adding, “While litigation is a strategic tool of last resort, our Company has fought to do what we believe is right and in the best interest of the welfare of our guests, crew and communities we visit in an effort to do our part as responsible corporate citizens to minimize, to the greatest extent possible, further spread of COVID-19 as we gradually relaunch our vessels.”

NCL says that the swift deployment of vaccines has been the primary vehicle for people to safely get back to their everyday lives while containing the spread of the virus, with the Company having invested heavily in its comprehensive, multi-layered SailSAFE™ health and safety program with science-backed protocols developed in conjunction with the nation’s top scientific and public health experts.

The Company says that its policy of 100% vaccination of guests and crew was in place without issue in every port it sails from around the world except for Florida, with despite the ongoing global pandemic and the accelerating spread of the Delta variant, Florida prohibited the Company from requiring vaccine documentation which the Company believed would enable it to resume sailing in the safest way possible.

CLIA’s Member’s policy which is believed is the protocol given to the Federal Government for the restart of cruising in Australia even domestically, does not include 100% vaccination for guests and crew, only testing, with many in the cruise sector considering that not proposing 100% vaccination may be a significant stumbling block for the Federal Government allowing cruising to restart in Australia.

A report by John Alwyn-Jones, Cruise Editor,  Global Travel Media and Global Cruise News.