Port Cape Liberty (Bayonne NJ/NYC, USA) modified its agreement with RCI-Royal Caribbean International regarding the company’s vaccination policy.
Currently, Anthem of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas are the two RCI ships homeported in Cape Liberty. However, only Anthem OTS was included in the original agreement.
The City Council last month approved a resolution updating the MoA (memorandum of agreement) between the port city, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, and RCI, to include another liner in the agreement and to lower the vaccination age requirement for all cruisers.
According to Law Director Jay Coffey, the resolution would require that both of the cruise ships operating from the port be included in the agreement. The resolution additionally lowers the vaccination requirement to cover all guests aged 12+.
Coffey added the initial agreement had been signed to allow Bayonne to assist the cruise line in implementing COVID health protocols. According to the resolution, the agreement aimed to ensure the line’s port and cruise operations are "compliant with virus mitigation guidelines."
The lowering of the COVID vaccination age requirement coincided with the emergency use authorization of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) of the Pfizer vaccine for those aged 5-11 at the end of October 2021. While the amended RCI vaccine requirement does not yet extend to the same age group, the agreement could and would likely be amended again to do so, according to the resolution.