Florida's DeSantis is in a standoff with the cruise ship industry, CDC over vaccinations

The Celebrity Edge ship.
(Image credit: Sebastien Salom Gomis/AFP via Getty Images)

Celebrity Cruises announced Wednesday that it got the green light from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to embark on the first U.S. cruise with paying customers in more than a year. The Celebrity Edge will set sail from Fort Lauderdale on June 26 — maybe.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Thursday that Celebrity's requirement that 95 percent of all passengers over 16 be fully vaccinated "violates the spirit" of an executive order he issued barring "vaccine passports," as well as a state law that goes into effect July 1. If the cruise line, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group, follows through, it will be "subject to a fine of $5,000" for each customer asked to show vaccination status, the governor's office said.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.