As if COVID-19 wasn’t destructive enough, politics has made it worse. It delayed vaccination drives and turned the needle into a political statement, dissuading millions from getting the shot. That needs to stop.
If people choose not to get vaccinated, that’s their right. But self-serving office holders have turned it into a debate about freedom, not safety. That’s a bad way to make community health decisions.
The country needs to work together — not start fights — to overcome the Coronavirus, beat down the pandemic and get closer to 2019 normal lives.
Sadly, that is not what’s happening in many places, such as Florida, where the governor has decided the public’s right to turn down the vaccine — and his political future as a righteous conservative – overrules anyone else’s right to protect their own health and the health of their employees and customers, such as cruise lines.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on May 4 signed a law that blocks Florida businesses from requiring proof of vaccinations. “In Florida, your personal choice regarding vaccinations will be protected and no business or government entity will be able to deny you services based on your decision," he said.
What about a business owner’s choice not to expose people to possible COVID-19 infections? Shouldn’t a freedom-of-choice-loving politician extend the rights equally: No one has to get a shot, and no one has to let an unvaccinated person into their life. Seems a fair solution.
Besides, the governor’s claim that no one can be denied service based on their vaccination status, while a political headline, may not apply to cruise ships that have to follow federal law.
The federal Centers for Disease Control has told cruise lines that the fastest — and safest — way to get back on the water is to require 98% of crew members and 95% of passengers to show proof of vaccination.
Norwegian Cruise Line wants to get back to work and has announced it will absolutely require passengers and crew to show proof of vaccination. Besides, the company said it likes 100% vaccinations even better. And it doesn’t like Florida telling it otherwise.
"Cruise ships have motors, propellers and rudders, and God forbid we can't operate in the state of Florida for whatever reason, then there are other states that we do operate from, and we can operate from the Caribbean for a ship that otherwise would have gone to Florida," Norwegian CEO Frank Del Rio said last week.
The bickering over business in the Sunshine State is a distraction the country cannot afford. Get a vaccination because it’s the healthy thing to do. Or don’t. But elected officials shouldn’t wrap a political flag around your arm and expect that it overrules the rights of others to make their own choices.
— The Wrangell Sentinel
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