Maritime commission asks for COVID-19 vaccines
The US government’s central regulatory body managing the maritime industry’s competitiveness sent a letter to President Joe Biden about the need to vaccinate maritime industry workers in all sectors.
By Michael McGrady, Maritime Direct Americas Correspondent
The Federal Maritime Commission announced on January 29, 2021, that two commissioners overseeing the agency sent an official letter to President Joe Biden asking for the industry to be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccines.
Commissioners Danie Maffei and Carl Bentzel authored the letter to reiterate the importance of vaccinating the national maritime workforce.
“We write regarding the urgent issue of vaccinating the Nation’s maritime workforce as soon as possible,” writes Bentzel and Maffei. “We recommend that this essential workforce be prioritized for vaccinations, and in the interim be given access to rapid testing in order to help minimize workplace disruption, given their critical role in moving medical supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE), and handling what is an unprecedented amount of consumer goods arriving at our gateway ports.”
The Maritime Executive reports that the letter to Biden follows a similar attempt by the commission to acquire the necessary materials to protect workers and crews.
Union leaders, the administrators of port authorities, and local officials in all impacted communities have been urging governments to consider those employed in these fields as frontline workers entitled to first-line support and COVID-19 vaccinations.
The events leading into the Trump presidency’s final days offered a tiny reprieve in this regard, notes the Executive report and a republication of the letter by Professional Mariner. The commissioners view Biden’s presidency as an opportunity to offer better protections for workers and the industry’s domestic segments.
“A large-scale workforce disruption from COVID-19 would be disastrous for the immediate and long-term fluidity of the supply chain and delivery of goods to Americans,” notes the latest letter to Biden. “We must address the immediate health challenges facing maritime workers with continued COVID-19 outbreaks and their impact on the increasing maritime workload and unprecedented volume surges.”
