More than 100 passengers and crew will be forced to remain on a Covid-infected cruise ship until they test negative to the virus as it docks in Sydney this morning.
Dozens of guests and staff members were infected on the Coral Princess as it sailed from Port Douglas in Far North Queensland to Brisbane on Sunday.
The ship will dock at Sydney’s Circular Quay at 6:30am on Wednesday with those infected not allowed to disembark until they return a negative Covid test.
The outbreak aboard the cruise ship has mostly infected crew members, with 114 of them in isolation on Tuesday.
More than 100 passengers and crew on the Coral Princess (pictured) have tested positive for Covid
A passenger onboard the ship told a Today presenter he ‘couldn’t wait to get off’ amid the spiralling outbreak which has infected over 100 people.
Yelling over the balcony as the ship docked in Circular Quay, the man told the reporter he and his wife did not have Covid.
Four passengers were isolating after positive results, and 24 earlier disembarked in Brisbane, Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard said.
NSW Health said passengers who tested positive on board likely took the virus on board with them rather than becoming infected at sea.
The ship docked in Eden on the south coast on Tuesday, where about 800 passengers disembarked after returning negative tests.
The Coral Princess is expected to remain docked in Circular Quay for one day, before returning to its home port of Brisbane.
The outbreak has forced Princess Cruises to offer refunds to those booked on its next 12-day trip before it departed from Brisbane to Sydney on Monday.
A Princess Cruises spokesman on Tuesday said the crew who had tested positive in a recent full-screening were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms.
The Coral Princess is expected to remain docked in Circular Quay for one day, before returning to its home port of Brisbane (pictured, the Ruby Princess at Circular Quay in March, 2020)
The contagion on the vessel – which is a sister ship to the Ruby Princess that was linked to 28 deaths after an outbreak on board in 2020 – is the first for the local cruise industry since it resumed trips after the pandemic.
Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath says protocols were in place on the ship before the outbreak.
She said some passengers are isolating at home or in other accommodation, while authorities are helping the company manage infected staff on board.
‘The virus is everywhere and there’s no escaping that,’ Ms D’Ath said on Monday.
‘They will be testing staff more frequently at the moment and also encouraging any passengers with any symptoms whatsoever to come forward and get tested and they will have to isolate as well.’
Princess Cruises said they were ‘doing everything possible’ to ensure the safety of guests and crew.
‘We are adhering to comprehensive protocols that were agreed in conjunction with federal and state authorities and we are confident that they are working effectively,’ a spokesman told AAP.
The ship travelled around Queensland on Sunday before heading to NSW, where it is currently docked in Sydney
Protocols include regular testing of all crew who must be fully vaccinated.
‘Should any crew member test positive, they go into isolation on board and have no contact with guests,’ Princess Cruises said.
‘We recently advised embarking guests that in the most recent full screening of crew some had returned positive tests and that this was being managed effectively in line with our protocols.
‘As guests look forward to their cruise holidays, we want them to be confident in knowing that everything possible is being done to ensure they do so in an environment that is as safe as it can be.’
A NSW Health spokesperson said cruise operators are responsible for keeping passengers and crews safe from infectious diseases including Covid-19, in line with the Eastern Seaboard Cruise Protocols.
‘NSW Health is liaising with the Coral Princess cruise ship to monitor the health of its passengers and crew members,’ they said.
‘While a small number of passengers have been diagnosed with Covid since boarding the Coral Princess, their infections were most likely acquired prior to boarding and they subsequently tested positive.
The contagion on the Coral Princess is the first for the local cruise industry since it resumed trips after the pandemic (pictured, cruise ship Radiance of the Seas in Circular Quay in 2013)
‘The vast majority of cases on the ship are currently in crew members. All Covid-positive people are isolating and being cared for by the onboard medical team.’
The spokesperson said the ship is now en route to the port of Eden on the South Coast of NSW. It is scheduled to return to Sydney again for one day on Wednesday before travelling north to Brisbane.
‘NSW Health’s assessment is that the Covid risk level for the Coral Princess during this cruise is amber, which indicates a moderate impact to the vessel,’ they said.
‘No crew members will disembark and all passengers disembarking will be requested to return a negative RAT result first.
‘To further minimise the risk of transmission, passengers on shore tours will also be advised to wear masks when on transport or in other public indoor spaces, physically distance wherever possible and to regularly use hand sanitiser.’
Pictured: Guests wearing masks on board the Coral Princess
Queensland recorded another 4804 cases on Monday, taking the number of active cases to 40,589.
Of those, 782 have required hospital treatment (1.9 per cent of active cases) and ten are in intensive care (0.025 per cent of cases).
The former federal government banned cruise ships from entering Australians waters in March 2020 after 2700 passengers on the Ruby Princess were allowed to freely disembark in Sydney Harbour, sparking 900 cases and 28 deaths across Australia.
The ban was lifted almost two years later in April 2022 after the industry worked with federal and state governments to refine health and safety protocols for passengers and crew.
In 2019, the cruise ship industry supported about 18,000 jobs and generated about $5billion in direct and indirect revenue for the economy.
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