A spokeswoman for the Florida governor’s office said Norwegian’s stance discriminated against children and individuals who can’t be vaccinated, and noted the state’s legal efforts against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s sailing restrictions and protocols.

“Apparently Norwegian prefers the shackles of the CDC to the freedom offered by Florida,” the spokeswoman said in a statement. “This administration will not tolerate such widespread discrimination.”

This is from Dave Sebastian, “Cruise Line Sues on Vaccine Proof,” Wall Street Journal, July 14, 2021 (print edition).

You wouldn’t know it from the Florida governor’s spokeswoman’s quote, but Norwegian Cruise Lines is actually suing for freedom of association, and it is the governor and Florida’s surgeon general Scott Rivkees who are trying to take away this business’s freedom to decide which customers it will have.

It’s actually a little more complicated. The spokeswoman is right that the CDC is trying to shackle the cruise line. So is the Florida government; it’s just that the shackles are different, as the news story makes clear. The Florida government is playing a game of chicken with the CDC, with Norwegian Cruise Line as the innocent pedestrian at whom both sides are aiming.

I’ve written about this earlier here and here.