Washington | The US state of Florida is suing the US federal government to demand the resumption of cruises, interrupted since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the governor’s office announced Thursday.
The latter, Republican Ron DeSantis, whose state depends heavily on tourism for its income, authorized the lawsuit, arguing that the original suspension order is “illegal”.
“We must allow our cruise lines and their employees to return to work and to go back to sea in a safe manner,” he said in a statement.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had ordered the nationwide suspension of cruises in March 2020 amid the pandemic.
“Let’s be clear, no federal law authorizes the CDC to indefinitely impose nationwide shutdowns of an entire economic sector. This legal action is necessary to protect Floridians from an abuse of power by the federal government, and the resulting economic damage to our state, ”said this firm supporter of former President Donald Trump (2017-2021) , who is considered a possible candidate for the next presidential election.
Mr. DeSantis is constantly seeking to end all containment measures or closures related to COVID-19, and has never made the wearing of a mask mandatory in his state.
According to experts, the lawsuit is doomed to failure.
Florida has recorded since the start of the epidemic nearly 34,000 deaths for 22 million inhabitants.