HEATHROW, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis said he's in contact with President Donald Trump to figure out ways to get cruises sailing to and from the Florida coastline once again.
The coronavirus pandemic and outbreaks of the virus onboard ships earlier in the year effectively shut down the industry, putting thousands of people out of work and hampering leisurely travel.
Speaking Tuesday during a roundtable discussion, DeSantis said he's been in touch with the White House for conversations about how to restart cruising. He figured it could be done safely, but it's not entirely without risk.
"Obviously that is going to be an environment that is [a] different level of risk than going to an outdoor football game or some of these other things," said DeSantis, who added rapid tests could be helpful toward the goal of getting cruise ships running again.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "No Sail Order" remains in effect through Oct. 31. Axios last month reported Director Robert Redfield was overruled when he pushed to extend the order into next year because of the severity of the coronavirus.
DeSantis stressed the cruise industry is important to the state and the livelihoods of thousands of people, and testing could be the key to reopening.
"Again, we have so many more tools now that we did before. I'm not saying they have to test every single that goes on the cruise ship but if they wanted to, they probably could now," DeSantis said. "... We should always try to figure out how can you get to yes, not just say we can't do something, say, no, we need to do it."
What other people are reading right now:
- Sarasota parents fight back against school mask mandate with lawsuit
- Can I change my vote in Florida? Google search spikes after President Trump's tweet
- Police: Florida man drinks whiskey, steals front-end loader and plows over Biden signs
- Voting by mail? Here's when the U.S. Postal Service says it should be signed, sealed and sent
- Here's the full 2020 World Series schedule
- Hurricane warnings issued for parts of the US; Tropical Storm Zeta expected to regain strength
- What you need to know about the 6 constitutional amendments on Florida ballots
►Breaking news and weather alerts: Get the free 10 Tampa Bay app
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter