As COVID cases decrease and vaccinations increase, people are looking to return to normal. But there have been complications between the CDC and Florida law regarding vaccine passports.

FAU

There is currently one active COVID-19 case at FAU, an employee on the Boca Raton campus. This case brings the total number of COVID cases for the Summer 2021 term to four.

PALM BEACH COUNTY

As of May 27, the weekly average of COVID cases in Palm Beach County is down to 121 this week, which is 33 fewer than last week.

Vaccination rates are increasing in the county with 734,228 fully vaccinated residents as of May 27. According to the Palm Beach County vaccine summary, over 1,000,000 doses have been administered within the county.

The Health Care District of Palm Beach County’s mobile vaccination clinic will be in several different locations over Memorial Day weekend. Families and residents can receive a free walk-up vaccine in Lake Worth, Lake Worth Beach, and Delray Beach this weekend. To find out where the mobile clinic will be this weekend, click here.

STATE-WIDE

The weekly average number of COVID-19 cases decreased this week from 2,665 to 2,284.

More than 10 million Floridians are vaccinated as of May 27, according to the Florida vaccine summary. 

Getting back to normal is still a struggle, though, especially when it comes to travel.

Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group, is the first cruise line to receive CDC approval to set sail; however, due to Florida law that prohibits required vaccine passports, the cruise line has faced complications.

“For cruise lines offering cruises on ships with paying passengers, the CDC is requiring that 95% of crew and 95% of passengers be fully vaccinated to board,” according to USA Today.

Without proof of vaccination, there is no way to make sure the majority of passengers and crew are vaccinated, which puts cruise plans to a halt.

“Our commitment to sail with fully vaccinated crew members and guests still stands as it is a meaningful layer to ensure we make every effort to help keep safe our guests, crew and the communities we visit,” Celebrity said in a statement. 

The cruise line intends on requiring passengers to show proof of vaccination upon boarding, but the Florida government opposes it.

“The CDC arbitrarily singled out the cruise industry, and their requirements are unlawful. The CDC cannot mandate vaccines, nor passports. Attempting to do so not only violates civil liberties, but also discriminates against families with children who enjoy vacations – while causing undue economic hardship to the businesses that support the ports,” Christina Pushaw, DeSantis’ press secretary said.

Kendall Little is the Managing Editor for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet her @klittlewrites.