COVID-19 passports

The decision came three days after Norwegian announced it would no longer require passengers to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 before boarding ships.

Now that Norwegian has lifted requirements that passengers show proof of vaccination against COVID, it says the state’s appeal in the case is moot and a preliminary injunction should be scrapped.

Florida lawmakers are reconvening in a special session over vaccine mandates. Republicans want to block local governments and school boards from issuing their own.

Said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: “We want to make sure we're protecting people's jobs, protecting people's livelihoods. Tossing people aside is just not something that we can tolerate.”

This ruling split from a South Florida federal judge, who sided in August with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings in a challenge to the state law. In both cases, the plaintiffs argued that the law was an unconstitutional restriction on speech.

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The measure is a response to local government efforts to side-step state law.

A new state law prohibits businesses, schools and governments from requiring proof of vaccination.

More than a week after Leon County fired 14 employees for refusing to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination, the county is facing $3.5 million in fines from the state.

The store argues that the law violates the First Amendment and is seeking an injunction to block it.

Attorneys for the DeSantis administration wrote in a brief that the law is an “economic regulation that does not implicate” the First Amendment.

Safety measures like proof of vaccination will make customers feel more protected, the store's co-owner and legal counsel said.