A holiday cruise ship with 800 Covid-infected passengers docked in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday, against the backdrop of rising cases of new Covid variants across Europe and China. The cruise outbreak is redolent of the Ruby Princess cruise ship outbreak in the initial days of the pandemic, which left 28 people on board dead and 900 Covid positive.
Covid cases are rising in China, as the daily case count on Saturday rose to 14,288 from 11,323 a day ago. A record of new daily cases was reported in the capital Beijing, and manufacturing hubs of Guangzhou and Zhengzhou. Australia is witnessing a similar rise, reflecting community transmission of the Omicron variant XBB, the federal government said this week.
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Before it docked at Circular Quay in Sydney, the Majestic Princess Cruise ship sailed from New Zealand with 3,300 guests and 1,300 crew members.
Carnival Australia, part of global leisure company Carnival Corporation & plc, said Covid-positive passengers were isolating onboard and being cared for by medical staff, according to New South Wales Health. Company president of Carnival Australia, Marguerite Fitzgerald, said that most cases were either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, and detected when the cruise completed half way through the 12-day voyage.
The cruise ship allowed passengers who tested negative to leave the ship first followed by those who tested positive on a deck-by-deck basis through a separate door, according to a report.
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Fitzgerald urged passengers to not take public transport in order to avoid transmission of the disease. In New South Wales, it is no longer mandatory to self-isolate for five days after rules were changed on October 14 but the health agency of New South Wales urges people to isolate themselves.
The ship is slated to depart for Melbourne and the staff will assist guests who tested positive by helping them access private transport and accommodation in order to complete their isolation period.
NSW Health categorised the outbreak on the Majestic Princess as Tier-3 situation, which is highest in its cruise ship classification pointing to a ‘high level of transmission’, and means over 10 per cent of passengers have tested positive.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said that authorities have created ‘regular protocols’ in the wake of the Ruby Princess episode and that New South Wales Health would take the lead on determining how to get passengers off the Majestic Princess "on a case-by-case basis".
Australia's Home Affairs Minister on Saturday sought to reassure the public that Covid-19 protocols were adequate after a cruise ship with hundreds of infected passengers docked in Sydney. Federal border force officer will play a supplementary role to the state authorities, O'Neil told reporters in Melbourne.
