<br><div><aside class="gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el" aria-label="Video - Cruises: What to expect when heading to the sea for vacation"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">A court case in Florida might not only decide the financial fate of America’s cruise industry, in ports from Miami to Anchorage, but also the political fate of a governor (and 2024 presidential contender) who now finds himself caught in its wake.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Beyond the lawsuit, the overriding issue is whether cruise lines can mandate vaccinations and other safety measures if they conflict with state law. Meanwhile, an industry nearly shuttered by COVID-19 is held at anchor while solutions are held at bay. </p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Florida, home to the world’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cruisehive.com/miami-cruise-terminal-guide-what-you-need-to-know/45914" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|inline click|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">largest cruise terminal</a> Port Miami (<a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/7eff9c61d5a5bf662d3b129c5b32b397" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|inline click|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">with 6.8 million annual passengers,</a><strong> </strong>22 cruise lines pre-pandemic),<strong/>is at the epicenter of this square-off over who gets to make the call – the federal government, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state or the companies themselves.</p><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Remember, it has been more than a year since <a target="_blank" href="/story/travel/cruises/2020/02/17/coronavirus-official-explains-diamond-princess-cruise-quarantine-fail/4785290002/" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|inline click|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">images of the Diamond Princess cruise ship</a> signaled a worldwide pandemic.</p><h2 class="gnt_ar_b_h2">Diamond Princess makes headlines</h2><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Although overwhelmed hospitals and understaffed nursing homes bore the brunt of public attention, the first unshakeable images of sick and quarantined passengers aboard the Diamond Princess dominated the headlines. The cruise industry became COVID-19 enemy No. 1.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Cue the CDC. Charged with protecting the nation’s health, its officials made a quick (and wise) decision to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/03/24/2020-06166/no-sail-order-and-suspension-of-further-embarkation" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|inline click|${u}" class="gnt_ar_b_a">shut the cruise industry</a> down until medical science would ensure this contagion could be limited and controlled on these floating cities.<strong> </strong></p><figure class="gnt_em gnt_em_img"><img class="gnt_em_img_i" style="height:441px" data-g-r="lazy" src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/06/10/USAT/bf6b7f7e-493e-4ed6-a040-030ef505c9fd-AFP_AFP_1OZ6IA.JPG?width=660&height=441&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp" srcset="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/06/10/USAT/bf6b7f7e-493e-4ed6-a040-030ef505c9fd-AFP_AFP_1OZ6IA.JPG?width=1320&height=882&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp 2x" decoding="async" alt="The Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined off Yokohama, Japan, early in February 2020."/></figure><p...</p></div> <style> .wrapper { text-align: center; } </style> <div class="wrapper"> <a class="button" href ="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/06/15/covid-florida-cruise-industry-devastated-pandemic/7643544002/">Read more <span>➤</span></a> </div>
