A Christmas weekend COVID-19 spike in new infections in Broward County, Florida, has forced cancellation of the regularly scheduled AMO membership meeting at union headquarters in Dania Beach on January 4, 2021.

State health officials on December 28 reported 704 new cases and four deaths in Broward, bringing the county's pandemic totals to 132,897 cases and 1,817 fatalities.

The rate of new coronavirus infections in the county climbed to 8.68 percent as of December 26 after hovering at or just below 7 percent through much of December. These totals had already forced cancellation of all classes at the AMO Safety & Education Plan's STAR Center in Dania Beach the week of January 4, 2021.

By December 28, the rate of new infections statewide had soared to 11.06 percent.

Local restrictions applicable to Dania Beach prohibit indoor and outdoor gatherings of 10 or more when this rate of positive testing reaches or exceeds five percent.

The numbers were just as grim in nearby Miami-Dade County to the South and in Palm Beach County to the North. In Miami-Dade, the positive test rate was 9.73 percent. In Palm Beach, this rate was 7.29 percent.

In addition, people traveling to South Florida from other states risk required quarantine upon arrival in Florida and upon their return to their home states.

This administration's priority is to limit the risk of COVID-19 infection within the seagoing AMO membership - infection which can then spread to AMO families at home or to other AMO members upon return to deep-sea, Great Lakes and inland waters vessels.

Meanwhile, the AMO offices in Washington and in Toledo remained closed under local health and safety protocols, with AMO officials and support personnel working remotely.

In a related development, plans to establish secure virtual AMO membership meetings were stalled by focus on important business matters, including contract negotiations, arbitrations, day-to-day efforts to ease the personal and professional difficulties endured by seagoing AMO members during the pandemic - including restriction to ship, quarantine, and obstacles to timely relief - and, most recently, an emerging joint strategy with other unions to ensure early access to available COVID-19 vaccines for U.S. merchant mariners.

The AMO Executive Board asks again that everyone in our union stand in moral support of all AMO members who have had to miss important family events or who may be providing financial assistance to loved ones displaced from their jobs or forced to close small business in the COVID-19 economy.