Norwegian Cruise Line plans fully vaccinated cruising, defying Florida governor

Norwegian Cruise Line announced Monday that it plans to resume cruising from Miami in August with fully vaccinated passengers, a plan that threatens to defy Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' order banning businesses from requiring vaccines. The announcement creates confusion about plans of cruise lines that in recent days have announced diverging strategies for resuming operations — with some planning test voyages, some requiring vaccines and some welcoming people on board with masks and social distancing. Carnival Cruise Line, meanwhile, announced that fully vaccinated voyages will take place from Galveston, Texas. Royal Caribbean is taking the opposite approach — strongly encouraging but not requiring vaccinations and hinting that passengers who cannot prove they are vaccinated will face testing and other "protocols."

South Florida Sun Sentinel

The U.S. State Department loosened its travel warnings for nations around the world, including France, Canada and Germany, in a move that could loosen airline restrictions for people wanting to go overseas as the coronavirus pandemic eases in parts of the world. The department changed its travel warnings for many nations from Level 4, or "do not travel," to Level 3, "reconsider travel." The department said it was updating the advisories after the Centers for Disease Control changed the methodology for its travel health notices. Dozens of countries were affected by the latest change, including Mexico, South Korea and Singapore. The advisories can help airlines and nations set their own restrictions for travel.

Bloomberg News

A 13-mile stretch of Salvadoran shoreline the government has named Surf City is one of the world's newest surfing meccas. At the center of those 13 miles are La Bocana and El Sunzal, two top surfing spots known collectively as El Tunco after the distinctive volcanic rocks just a few feet off the beach. It's a place where the waves are so ripe and the water so warm, tourism officials are hoping it can repair El Salvador's battered image while the International Surfing Association has chosen it as the location of the final qualifying rounds for the debut of surfing as an Olympic sport this summer. The eight-day competition, known as the World Surfing Games and featuring 256 athletes from 51 countries, concluded June 6.

Los Angeles Times