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Coronavirus Live Updates: Majority Of Floridians Disagree On DeSantis Policy, Support Requiring COVID-19 Vaccinations For Cruises, Says New Poll

Royal Caribbean has decided to postpone the scheduled sailing of its Odyssey of the Seas cruise ship “out of an abundance of caution” after eight cruise members tested positive for COVID-19, the company’s CEO said Tuesday in a Facebook post.
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The Miami Herald
Royal Caribbean has decided to postpone the scheduled sailing of its Odyssey of the Seas cruise ship “out of an abundance of caution” after eight cruise members tested positive for COVID-19, the company’s CEO said Tuesday in a Facebook post.

This post will be updated today, Wednesday, June 16, and through the week with the latest information on COVID-19 in South Florida.

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QUICK UPDATES

Poll: Majority Of Floridians Disagree On DeSantis Policy, Support Requiring COVID-19 Vaccinations For Cruises

Updated Wednesday at 3:40 p.m.

More than three-quarters of Floridians in a poll released Wednesday disagree with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ policy banning cruise lines from requiring passengers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

The survey, conducted by the University of South Florida School of Public Affairs, found just 24% said cruise lines should not be allowed to require guests to show proof of vaccination — which is Gov. Ron DeSantis’ position.

A plurality, 43%, said it should be mandatory for passengers to provide proof of vaccination on all cruises that port in Florida. And another 33% said it should be up to individual cruise lines. Neither of those options is allowed under rules championed and signed into law by DeSantis.

Read more at our news partner the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

— By Anthony Man / Sun Sentinel

Royal Caribbean Postpones Odyssey Of The Seas Sailing After Crew Members Test COVID Positive

Updated Wednesday at 8:19 a.m.

Royal Caribbean has decided to postpone the inaugural sailing of its Odyssey of the Seas cruise ship “out of an abundance of caution” after eight cruise members tested positive for COVID-19, the company’s CEO said.

Odyssey of the Seas was set to sail from Fort Lauderdale on July 3 and make stops in the Caribbean. Its sailing is now postponed until July 31. A simulation cruise, originally scheduled for late June, will also be rescheduled.

Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley announced the changes late Tuesday in a statement posted on Facebook.

— By Michelle Marchante / The Miami Herald

Read more from our news partner at The Miami Herald.

US Virgin Islands Governor Implores DeSantis To Permit Vaccinated Cruises

Updated Wednesday at 5:48 a.m.

One day after Royal Caribbean announced that two guests on the first cruise ship to sail from a U.S. port since the pandemic shutdown have tested positive for COVID-19, the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands implored Florida and Gov. Ron DeSantis to allow cruise lines to mandate vaccinations.

Albert Bryan Jr., governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, said the infection of vaccinated passengers is precisely the reason cruise lines need the freedom to require vaccinations. While vaccines do not eliminate risks, he said, not having them could be catastrophic, including to the people in the islands that cruise passengers visit.

“It emphasizes the need for us to have these protocols,” Bryan said. “Our ports, which are some of the most popular ports of call for cruises in the Caribbean, are in the direct line of fire, alongside the other port of call destinations.”

— By Wendy Rhodes / The Palm Beach Post

Read more from our news partner at The Palm Beach Post

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