LANSING, me. (WILX) – Cruise ships are ready to finally say: “Everything on board!” But there is a catch for many of them: you may need to provide proof that you are vaccinated against COVID-19 before boarding the ships.
Russell Reid, president of Capital Area Travel Leaders at Grand Ledge, says he wouldn’t be surprised if more travel companies followed suit.
“We let most of our customers know that they are ready to expect this from much of the world,” said Reid.
Reid says it is imperative that people traveling to the European Union provide evidence that they have been vaccinated.
“The entire EU, 27 nations, has declared that they need a vaccination card or an electronic card to enter their countries for tourism,” said Reid.
Potential cruiser Tammy Haring says that while this does not reflect her opinion about the vaccine, she does not believe it is right for cruise lines to turn people away if they choose not to receive the vaccine.
“It’s an injury to your body and whether or not to get the vaccine should be your choice,” Haring said. “It shouldn’t affect your ability to travel.”
Mary McLellan from Lansing feels different.
“My ideal cruise would be to have everyone who takes the cruise, including the crew, be vaccinated,” said McLellan.
McLellan believes that evidence of the COVID-19 vaccine should be the company’s responsibility to determine whether to implement this policy.
“I think if I own a restaurant and want everyone to be vaccinated, I would ask them to show me their vaccination card,” McLellan said. “Now I would probably lose the business. But that would be my choice as the owner of this business. “
Reid says those who want to stay in the country may not have that much of a problem.
“Here in the US there is no way to try,” Reid said. “Some states have already said they won’t and the whole country won’t.”
There are currently no commercial airlines in the United States that require COVID-19 vaccinations. However, companies like Jet Blue have teamed up with Common Pass, an app that allows people to provide proof of laboratory results and vaccinations for international travel.
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