Cruise lines race to vaccinate thousands of crew in hope for mid-July restart

Cruise lines race to vaccinate thousands of crew for mid-July restart

Cruise lines are racing to get their thousands of crew members vaccinated after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a potential return to sailing timeline that would have ships back in the water with paying passengers as early as mid-July. Since March 2020, the CDC has blocked cruise ships that carry more than 250 people from sailing in U.S. waters. The agency announced last week that it will allow cruise companies to bypass previously required simulated voyages if a ship attests that 98% of its crew and 95% of its passengers are fully vaccinated. U.S. ports have since transformed into vaccination sites with ships docking in Miami, Galveston, and Port Canaveral to get their crew members inoculated. Within a week 1,300 Royal Caribbean crew members have been vaccinated at Port Miami alone, according to a spokesperson for the cruise line.