Posted on 04/23/2021 7:46:19 AM PDT by Capt. Tom
Like the rest of the travel sector, the cruise industry is looking at how to guarantee the safety of those ready to explore the world again.
And while an ever-increasing portion of the population has been vaccinated, questions are arising as to whether so-called “vaccine passports” will help pave the way to safer travels or impinge on the privacy rights of individuals.
How Cruising Could Be Impacted It’s impossible to talk about the resumption of cruising without addressing all of the questions surrounding vaccinations. Which cruise lines will insist on passengers providing proof of vaccination… and is it even legal for them to require it?
Florida seems well-positioned to be the battleground on which this discussion will play out, given that Governor Ron DeSantis has signed an executive order preventing private businesses from asking for proof of inoculation even as several cruise lines planning to sail from the state’s ports seem intent upon doing exactly that.
covid 19 vaccine
Vaccination passports — or programs that serve the same basic purpose — already are being used in several countries.
For example, Israeli citizens who have been fully vaccinated are issued a “Green Pass” which allows them access to restaurants, theaters, swimming pools and other public venues.
Similarly, Denmark’s version of a vaccine passport is known as “Coronapas” and allows the holder to prove, via digital app or paper record, whether they’ve had a vaccination, negative test result, or previous infection.
The European Commission is currently considering a “Digital Green Certificate” which would allow individuals to freely travel within the European Union. It hopes to have the system in place across all 27 member states by the end of June.
Closer to home, Hawaii has announced a plan for a vaccine passport program that will allow fully vaccinated people to travel between its islands without being subjected to quarantines or pre-arrival testing protocols.
In its early stages, Hawaii’s plan is restricted to people who have received their vaccination within the state — so local travelers will be the first beneficiaries. However, according to a recent Forbes article, the program could be expanded to out-of-state visitors later this summer.
Why The Programs Are Stirring Up Controversy While advocates see these programs as ways of safely opening up parts of the world to travel, opponents instead see the passports — in all their forms — as an infringement on an individual’s privacy rights. And in some countries, the fact that vaccines are more readily available to those in the upper classes than the poor is seen as creating a caste system within the larger framework of society, rendering the issuance of “vaccine passports” inherently unfair.
The issue becomes trickier, however, when one takes a look at the economic devastation being wrought on some sectors, particularly the cruise industry, which has been shut down for over a year.
A Temporary Solution? “If governments are keen to ignite travel in the near term, it might be that level of assurance that everyone is looking for in order to open up a bit of tourism,” said Canadian tourism professor Joe Pavelka in an interview with CityNews.
Pavelka does not, however, see vaccine passport requirements as something which would be implemented as a permanent measure. Rather, he believes it could be used as a short-term “solution in order to get people moving.”
In a recent opinion piece for CNN, UCLA history professor Peter Baldwin, author of Fighting the First Wave: Why the Coronavirus Was Tackled So Differently Across the Globe, expressed similar sentiments.
“Vaccine passports are a temporary measure, useful during the interval while many are vaccinated, but before herd immunity has arrived. A different solution is needed for the few who have medical reasons to avoid vaccination. They must be given the benefits of inclusion in the scheme. For others, passports will distinguish those vaccinated from the rest.”
Baldwin agrees that the concept of vaccine passports is inherently unfair, but rejects portraying the issue as right versus left or liberty versus oppression. Rather, he says, “Passports should be a technical issue, helping us exit the pandemic, not yet another occasion to score ideological points.”
Cruisers Will Likely Remain Divided While the issue is still being debated around the world, one thing is certain: No matter which way things go, at least some cruisers will find themselves disagreeing on the ultimate decision. From the moment the issue was first broached, voices were raised both in support and opposition.
One thing most cruisers agree on is that it’s time for cruising to resume. The past year has created economic hardships for many, and left would-be passengers wondering why they’ve been left high and dry even as nearly every other aspect of travel has begun re-opening.
As for the cruise lines themselves, they will no doubt find themselves navigating public sentiment, policies dictated by agencies such as the CDC, and other factors with only one endgame: doing whatever is necessary to safely resume sailing as soon as possible.
One of their sons worked with a guy who was exhibiting symptoms of the Kung Flu. Both men had three tests over a period of about three weeks. First two tests were negative. The last test was positive, but the results took so long that by the time her son got his results back, the doctor said he was already over the contagious stage. My friends and their three sons, and their families all vacation for a week together each year. The doctor told the son he was okay to go last summer with the rest of the family. Nobody else got the virus, not even his wife and daughter during the time he was supposed to have been contagious.
One of the main reasons I refuse to take the vaccine is that they don't even have an accurate test.
So if science is good, and the vaccines are effective, why do vaccinated people still have to wear a mask, and social distance?
(And I say that as someone who flew, got on commuter trains and traversed our interstate highways in various states these past 14 months without being vaccinated and never got sick even though I'm immune system compromised.)
“Science is always good; people without advanced degrees, post graduate study and academic publishing in the specific field = utterly irrelevant if not dangerous in matters of medicine. YMMV”
Sammy.... is that you? It’s painfully obvious to those with two functioning brain cells that “the science” being crammed into various orifices is pure unadulterated BS.
Please explain the numerous deaths and/or lifelong health issues being experienced by many that have vaxxed up due to “the science”.
With vaccination, there is written proof easy to read for the cruise ship entry, with date of vaccination. And that passenger/crew has anti-bodies currently.
With pervious recovery, there is no paper record of how many anti-bodies you still have and the ship can’t wait to sail until that issue is processed and determined. It takes time to make a anti-body test and get results.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 150 MILLION vaccinated and less than 150 deaths, PERHAPS? Can you figure the percentage? Did you take college level courses in statistics to understand how good the vaccine results are?
Please let me know where you got your PhD and did your graduate study, then I *might* take you opinion as anything other than BS
Science said Thalidomide was safe, effective, and good for everyone too.
Vaccine Passports : it is Capitalism gone 'woke'.
Businesses doing what the government won't, or can't do;
passports are just another form of surveillance, regardless of the justification.
It would be convenient, particularly if only for covid vaccine.
And then there's Richard Branson's Virgin who will probably take delivery of their third ship before the first two board a passenger. Talk about timing. Having canceled their July debut from Miami I've heard they're considering other Caribbean embarkation ports. Our government, essentially banning cruises, closing coal mines and telling miners to make solar panels, and shutting down gas production. Joe hasn't said what those employees will do, probably make windmills.
Comrade, posts like that won't reflect well on your future social score.
You'll notice I haven't gotten a response from that person either. And as far as my future social score goes, I'll be 74 in August. No one in my family lived to be 75, so damn the social score. I won't need it when I'm dead.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 150 MILLION vaccinated and less than 150 deaths, PERHAPS? Can you figure the percentage? Did you take college level courses in statistics to understand how good the vaccine results are?”
Yep.... sure can and did. Do you have any idea of the long term repercussions for an emergency use vaccine on various people? Yeah.... didn’t think so. Get it FDA approved and I might consider it’s efficacy.
“Please let me know where you got your PhD and did your graduate study, then I *might* take you opinion as anything other than BS”
Could care less whether you take my OPINION as BS or not. Only know what I read from multiple sources as well as figure out about this ScamDemic.
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