The state of Florida, which has suffered immense loss in cruise line business throughout the course of the pandemic, has recently sued the U.S. government and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to allow the cruise industry to be treated like the airline industry, arguing that the federal government's special treatment is unnecessary.
The cruise lines have been confined to the United States for over a year, given that the coronavirus has not permitted business to flourish. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said, regarding this issue, "We don't believe the federal government has the right to mothball a major industry for over a year."
In terms of the lawsuit itself, it requires the court to mandate that the CDC's forbidding of cruise line sailing is "unlawful" as well as "arbitrary and capricious." The state of Florida insisted that it would like the cruise industry to open again with "reasonable safety protocols."
The Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL) cruise line, for example, which has held over 100,000 guests on its ship since the coronavirus outbreak and has only seen ten COVID cases. Chief Executive Richard Fain stated that he would "like to be treated in a very similar way to the airlines and other forms of transportation."
Florida Congressman Carlos Gimenez essentially reported similar findings, in that he believes that the CDC is inflexible and unwilling to change its guidelines in any way whatsoever to adapt to individual or group needs. The country's pandemic situation is constantly changing, he says, so it is important that the CDC as well as others as a whole come to this understanding.
The lawsuit could work to the benefit of the cruise lines as they push toward a July 2021 restart. They would essentially receive what they want, and as long as they are adhering to safety COVID-19 protocols, then all will be well in Florida's eyes, as well as in the eyes of the CDC and the United States government.