Cruise Lines Race to Vaccinate Thousands of Crew in Hope for Mid-JUL Restart

Cruise lines are racing to get their thousands of crew members vaccinated after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a potential return to sailing timeline that would have ships back in the water with paying passengers as early as mid-JUL. 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.