Bill introduced by Senators from Florida and Alaska has been blocked

[BermudaBound2014]

The bill introduced by Senators from Florida and Alaska was officially blocked.

 

"Florida Senators Scott and Rubio attempted to advance their CRUISE (Careful Resumption Under Improved Safety Enhancements) Act on April 21 on the Senate floor but Senator Murray objected, in that way preventing it from passing."

 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/24844-act-to-overrule-cdc-s-cruise-restrictions-blocked-in-senate.html

 

 

[KennyFla]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

The bill introduced by Senators from Florida and Alaska was officially blocked.

 

"Florida Senators Scott and Rubio attempted to advance their CRUISE (Careful Resumption Under Improved Safety Enhancements) Act on April 21 on the Senate floor but Senator Murray objected, in that way preventing it from passing."

 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/24844-act-to-overrule-cdc-s-cruise-restrictions-blocked-in-senate.html

 

 

Not a shock.  The Bill, like the court action filed by Florida will not get cruising re-started by themselves, but keep public pressure on the CDC.

 

[BermudaBound2014]

I agree, no surprise that it has been blocked.

 

But, I was somewhat surprised how quickly the bill was tossed out. 

[jonbgd]

While I am as eager as anyone else to see a return to travel, we cannot cut corners. Doing so risks lives and will only further delay returning to normal, hurting our economy more in the long run,” said Senator Murray.

“We must trust the science, and we must allow the CDC to continue its work to help us return to what we love as safely as possible. So I will continue to work with CDC and the administration as they develop the next phase of their cruising guidance, but for now, I object,” he explained.

 

 

 

And I agree with this statement

[david_sobe]

Its all politics.  The governor of Florida is suing yet actually preventing cruising from returning to Florida by banning vaccine passports.  We already know all cruise lines are requiring vaccine passports yet the people screaming loudest for cruising to resume are hurting the cruise industry and their workers that rely on the industry.  Its all because of politics.  Yet few call them out on their hypocrisy.  Strange enough vaccine passports are the new litmus test on the right.  

[BermudaBound2014]

10 minutes ago, jonbgd said:

While I am as eager as anyone else to see a return to travel, we cannot cut corners. Doing so risks lives and will only further delay returning to normal, hurting our economy more in the long run,” said Senator Murray.

“We must trust the science, and we must allow the CDC to continue its work to help us return to what we love as safely as possible. So I will continue to work with CDC and the administration as they develop the next phase of their cruising guidance, but for now, I object,” he explained.

 

 

 

And I agree with this statement

I agree that cutting corners will put us further behind. It seems to me that ncl has a pretty robust  plan to resume in the Caribbean. Cruise ships have been sailing with very few cases onboard (not zero cases, but very few). Imo the key is the threshold number before everyone else is effected by an inevitable positive case. 

[www3traveler]

7 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

I agree that cutting corners will put us further behind. It seems to me that ncl has a pretty robust  plan to resume in the Caribbean. Cruise ships have been sailing with very few cases onboard (not zero cases, but very few). Imo the key is the threshold number before everyone else is effected by an inevitable positive case. 

Senator Patty Murray--Washington State.  She is from the Seattle area which has seen an increase in COVID cases in the last few weeks.  Would be nice to see Alaskan cruises in 2021 but I highly doubt it will happen unless very late in the season.

[roger001]

I don't think it is so much setting out to sea but it will continue to be for some time the countries at which we would like to port.  Also, have to consider the return.  Without extreme measures (at least so many as to take the spontaneous fun out of it) required to set sail, still pretty complex amount of stuff to consider.  

[harkinmr]

3 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

The bill introduced by Senators from Florida and Alaska was officially blocked.

 

"Florida Senators Scott and Rubio attempted to advance their CRUISE (Careful Resumption Under Improved Safety Enhancements) Act on April 21 on the Senate floor but Senator Murray objected, in that way preventing it from passing."

 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/24844-act-to-overrule-cdc-s-cruise-restrictions-blocked-in-senate.html

 

 

Nope, it did not "prevent it from passing".  Cruise Industry News needs to go back and watch "How A Bill Becomes A Law" from School House Rock.  The bill did not make it out of the subcommittee for a quick vote on the floor.  It has now gone back into the subcommittee and will follow the usual procedure.  Just like the bill filed by the Alaska Senators to secure a waiver under the PVSA for Alaska cruising, it will likely remain in committee.  The House bill will suffer the same fate. 

 

EDIT: Like david_sobe said above, it's all for political show.  It works in the vote-getting department. 

Edited April 25, 2021 by harkinmr

[Turtles06]

36 minutes ago, harkinmr said:

Nope, it did not "prevent it from passing".  Cruise Industry News needs to go back and watch "How A Bill Becomes A Law" from School House Rock. 

 

And we need more civics education in the U.S., that's for sure.

[Shidah]

Agree it is political.  How would going on a cruise be any different than going to a casino or WDW these days?

[timf2001]

The bill was never bipartisan, so it really didn't stand a chance.

[BermudaBound2014]

1 hour ago, Shidah said:

Agree it is political.  How would going on a cruise be any different than going to a casino or WDW these days?

I think the difference is the amount of time people spend on a cruise. Going to the casino, riding in an airplane, concerts, etc all have a limit to the amount of time people spend together. 

[Shidah]

The time that the CDC uses for the workplace at least is 15 minutes accumulated in a 24 hour period which is not possible in a plane, sporting event, etc..  When we went to WDW in October, we were in lines with strangers for over an hour.  Yesterday I spent 9 hours in a packed casino, (yes I have a problem!) where eating, drinking, smoking are now allowed again so mask compliance is pretty dismal.  I don’t have an issue with any of this, since I make the decision to visit these places and have never felt unsafe or became sick.  To hold the cruise lines to a higher standard reeks of a different agenda. It seems the CDC has different versions of science depending on the situation.

[BermudaBound2014]

7 minutes ago, Shidah said:

. It seems the CDC has different versions of science depending on the situation.

I agree that covid policies have been applied inconsistently. So frustrating. Apparently the Cdc now recommends 10 days to quarantine if you have been exposed, but the governor of Michigan disagrees and raised it back to 14 days. I can’t keep up 🤷‍♀️
 

 

Edited April 25, 2021 by BermudaBound2014

[Shidah]

Bermudabound, I completely agree and then the government wonders why no one believes anything that comes out of them.  It is because none of it is consistent or makes any sense.  I’ve done my part, wear my mask, got my shot, now they need to do theirs and govern consistently if they want to earn trust.

[mianmike]

3 hours ago, Shidah said:

The time that the CDC uses for the workplace at least is 15 minutes accumulated in a 24 hour period which is not possible in a plane, sporting event, etc..  When we went to WDW in October, we were in lines with strangers for over an hour.  Yesterday I spent 9 hours in a packed casino, (yes I have a problem!) where eating, drinking, smoking are now allowed again so mask compliance is pretty dismal.  I don’t have an issue with any of this, since I make the decision to visit these places and have never felt unsafe or became sick.  To hold the cruise lines to a higher standard reeks of a different agenda. It seems the CDC has different versions of science depending on the situation.

 

The CDC has no jurisdiction over WDW, land based casinos or sporting events.  Planes are a different story and that's where a compare and contrast can be made.  

[harkinmr]

4 hours ago, Shidah said:

The time that the CDC uses for the workplace at least is 15 minutes accumulated in a 24 hour period which is not possible in a plane, sporting event, etc..  When we went to WDW in October, we were in lines with strangers for over an hour.  Yesterday I spent 9 hours in a packed casino, (yes I have a problem!) where eating, drinking, smoking are now allowed again so mask compliance is pretty dismal.  I don’t have an issue with any of this, since I make the decision to visit these places and have never felt unsafe or became sick.  To hold the cruise lines to a higher standard reeks of a different agenda. It seems the CDC has different versions of science depending on the situation.

Those unsafe conditions you describe can be blamed on the casino and state/local governments.  CDC has no ability to control casinos or any other form of entertainment or hospitality within state borders.  They can only provide guidance, which is apparently being ignored.  I have heard that WDW is doing a great job with their protocols.  So obviously it can be done. Or if state and local governments allow, it can be like the Wild West as you describe. 

[RocketMan275]

17 hours ago, jonbgd said:

 

“We must trust the science, and we must allow the CDC to continue its work to help us return to what we love as safely as possible. So I will continue to work with CDC and the administration as they develop the next phase of their cruising guidance, but for now, I object,” he explained.

 

And I agree with this statement

If "as safely as possible" is the objective, then we will never return to cruising.

[KennyFla]

I apologize for starting the hijacking of this thread. What I was trying to point out comes down to this:

Is the stoppage of cruising done because of science and safety,  or is it political?

 

I have tried to give examples in this thread  and others that I think it is political. Therefore if we want to cruise out of the US again it must be fought politically. 

 

[hallux]

19 hours ago, david_sobe said:

yet actually preventing cruising from returning to Florida by banning vaccine passports.

And it's been said time and again in threads on this board that his ban of vaccine passports would not apply to the cruising industry as he has zero authority to enforce his ban on that industry.

[At Sea At Peace]

21 hours ago, jonbgd said:

While I am as eager as anyone else to see a return to travel, we cannot cut corners. Doing so risks lives and will only further delay returning to normal, hurting our economy more in the long run,” said Senator Murray.

“We must trust the science, and we must allow the CDC to continue its work to help us return to what we love as safely as possible. So I will continue to work with CDC and the administration as they develop the next phase of their cruising guidance, but for now, I object,” he explained.

 

And I agree with this statement

 

It would really be appreciated if the entire statement of the Senator from Washington was referenced and not just selected sentences.

 

If so, it would reveal that, like other matters re: such, the Senator is

 

~ in a time warp in February/March of 2020 and hasn't been updated of anything since,

 

~ is unaware of the proffer for 100% vaccinated crews and passengers (unless the vaccines don't work, if that is something she knows then we should know),

 

~ and that 400,000 have sailed successfully, outside of USA ports in more heavily overwhelmed countries than the USA, since August (with only 50 positive cases, or .0001 and 0 deaths; resulting in a 99.9% less risk than on USA land,  32M cases out of 350M or .0914).

 

From the record ~

 

SEN. MURRAY: Madam President, reserving the right to object. I understand the position of my colleagues from Alaska and Florida who want to see a return to cruising by July 4. I'm there with them. The cruise industry in my home state supports over 5,500 jobs and creates $900 million in annual local business revenue. Those jobs and that impact on the local economy have been severely disrupted. But we have to ensure the safety of our friends and our families on these cruises before they disembark. We have seen firsthand how devastating COVID outbreaks on cruise ships can be. 

 

Just last year, we saw thousands of passengers stranded on cruise ships, people put in quarantine, or refused entry to ports as borders closed. Over 31 million Americans have contracted COVID and 560,000 have died from this disease. Cruise ships require specific focus and protocols in place to prevent future outbreaks. While I am as eager as anyone else to see a return to travel, we cannot cut corners. Doing so risks lives and will only further delay returning to normal, hurting our economy more in the long run. 

 

We must trust the science and we must allow the CDC to continue its work to help us return to what we love as safely as possible. So I will continue to work with CDC and the administration as they develop the next phase of their cruising guidance, but for now, I object.

Edited April 26, 2021 by At Sea At Peace

[DCGuy64]

Any Senator who is basing her objections TODAY on things that happened LAST SPRING is stuck in a time warp. Period. End of story. Not gonna debate it, it's just a plain, simple fact.

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, At Sea At Peace said:

is unaware of the proffer for 100% vaccinated crews and passengers

Proposing to have 100% of crew vaccinated, and setting out the details of how to accomplish this, and then actually accomplishing this are a few different things.  The Philippines, which supplies 1/3 of all cruise ship crew, have vaccinated about 1% of their population.

[roger001]

9 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Proposing to have 100% of crew vaccinated, and setting out the details of how to accomplish this, and then actually accomplishing this are a few different things.  The Philippines, which supplies 1/3 of all cruise ship crew, have vaccinated about 1% of their population.

And RCL just terminated any hiring from India.  I would imagine other lines to follow.