Australians stranded on a cruise ship are terrified they will be left to die after the captain confirmed there was a case of coronavirus on board.
The Costa Victoria has already been denied entry into ports in both Asia and Europe including Croatia, the UAE and Israel.
The cruise liner said they would carry out an emergency docking in Venice on March 28 despite Italy’s coronavirus death toll surging past 6,000.
But passengers have now told their concerned friends and family that there is a case of COVID-19 on the ship and they are required to stay in their room.
Tory Archbold – whose mother Greta, 70, is one of 138 Australians stranded on board – is pleading for the Australian Government to intervene.
Tory Archbold (right) – whose mother Greta (left) is one of 138 Australians stranded on board – is now pleading for the Australian Government to intervene
There are believed to be up to 138 Australians on-board the cruise ship, whose passengers are mostly over the age of 65
‘All Australian passengers have been messaging their families to say the captain advised coronavirus was onboard last night and they have been told to stay in their rooms – it has caused widespread panic,’ Ms Archbold told Daily Mail Australia.
‘As this is an Italian ship they are only able to dock in Italy.
‘Once there is a case of coronavirus onboard they are in isolation for two weeks and no dock will accept them until all passengers are cleared of coronavirus.
‘It’s a death sentence for the Australians on board unless we can find a solution.’
Ms Archbold says her mother is on antibiotics and is high risk if she gets coronavirus.
‘There are no testing kits being given out and no one will say who has it so everyone is panicking.
‘It could be anyone.’
Ms Archbold said she had been communicating with the families of those on board to try and find a solution.
She said there has been no official correspondence from the ship.
‘There is limited WiFi connection [on Costa Victoria] and they are charging to use it,’ she said.
Ms Archbold said there are many elderly Australians on the cruise who had not set up access to global roaming to communicate with their families.
The cruise liner said they would carry out an emergency docking in Venice on March 28
Australia’s coronavirus tally could hit 2000 cases by the end of the Tuesday
‘There is a feeling of complete isolation with no solution in sight,’ she said.
‘We are working together to ensure they focus on the right mindset to get them through this challenging time.
‘We are asking the government to help. How can we get these Australians off and back into the country when global borders are closing?
‘These people are parents and grandparents. They belong in a country where they can be properly cared for.’
Ms Archbold said they learned something was wrong about one-week ago when they were sailing through the Suez Canal. She questioned why they were in such a dangerous part of the world when everything was beginning to lockdown.
‘I feel very concerned. They’ve got a very uncertain future,’ she said.
‘They don’t know when they’re going to be able to dock and how they’re going to get back to Australia.
‘This obviously is a death sentence,’ Ms Petrovic wrote on Facebook
Ms Petrovic shared a message sent to her by her relative expressing concern for the health of elderly passengers
‘You don’t want anyone to be docked in a country that currently has the worst cases of coronavirus in the world. It just puts peoples lives at risk.’
Coronavirus has killed more people in Italy than in any other country.
A lockdown imposed on March 12 in Italy has been extended beyond the original 25 March end date. Nearly all Italians have been told to stay at home.
Lauren Petrovic said her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were on the cruise ship said the passengers ‘will have no right to medical assistance if they fall ill’.
‘This obviously is a death sentence if they are to be let off here without assistance or any avenue to safely come home to Australia,’ Ms Petrovic wrote on Facebook on Thursday.
‘They will be potentially left to die.’
Before passengers reported there was COVID-19 onboard, Italian-based Costa urged passengers to leave the ship when it docks in Venice on Saturday.
‘The itinerary of Costa Victoria was modified given the pandemic alert issued by the World Health Organisation which brought local authorities to apply restrictions for the disembarkation of our guests compromising their cruise experience onboard,’ a spokesperson said in a statement.
‘Most likely, despite all the efforts made to readjust the program, the only viable itinerary for Costa Victoria at present is to perform technical calls whenever it will be allowed and go straight to the designated port of disembarkation Venice on March, 28th.’
The Australian government closed borders to non-residents on Friday and anyone who enters the country must self-isolate for 14 days.
Border controls are also in place for South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania, with only freight and essential travel exempted. Queensland will close its borders on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned Australians face six months of severe but necessary restrictions, with pubs, bars, nightclubs, cinemas and other indoor venues forced to close. Supermarkets, petrol stations and pharmacies remain open.
There are more than 1,800 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia and seven people have died.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted DFAT for comment.