Florida Sues CDC Over Cruise Ban, Citing Losses for Operators and State Economy
Lawrence C. Strauss, 08 April 2021
Florida is suing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to resume U.S. cruise sailings, calling the lockdown “arbitrary and capricious” and citing hundreds of millions of dollars in potential losses for the state economy.
The suit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Tampa by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, asserts that “the cruise industry has been singled out, and unlike the rest of America, prevented from reopening.”
The cruise companies have been largely shut down due to the pandemic for more than a year, though there have been some more recent sailings in Europe and Asia for certain companies.
“Despite the demonstrated success of reasonable COVID-19 safety protocols in Europe and Asia, the cruise industry in the United States has been subject to a nationwide lockdown since March 2020,” the complaint says. “As a result, the industry is on the brink of financial ruin.”
The CDC couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday evening.
