Cruise ship Ruby Princess was allowed to dock in Sydney despite 158 people reporting sick

Coronavirus cruise ship Ruby Princess was allowed to dock in Sydney despite 158 people reporting sick before ALL passengers and crew were allowed to disembark

  • Four people a cruise ship that docked in Sydney tested positive to COVID-19 
  • Health officials are phoning the thousands of passengers person-by-person 
  • There were 158 passengers who fell sick on vessel during earlier voyage 
  • Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?

Health bosses let thousands of cruise ship passengers disembark in Sydney even though 158 were feeling sick during the coronavirus outbreak. 

The passengers – including 13 with high temperatures – disembarked The Ruby Princess in Sydney Harbour on March 8. 

The ship then picked up 2,700 new passengers and set sail for New Zealand just hours later. 

In the following days, only nine of the 158 passengers were tested for COVID-19. All were negative. 

On 19 March the ship docked again at Sydney Harbour after the New Zealand trip and this time four passengers tested positive for the deadly virus. 

Four people on-board the Ruby Princess cruise ship have tested positive for the coronavirus (pictured at Circular Quay on Thursday) after it docked in Sydney

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia surged over 1,000 on Saturday

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia surged over 1,000 on Saturday

Two of those cases were a couple who flew to Darwin before testing positive.  

When the ship arrived on 8 March after the first voyage, the captain told NSW Vessel Traffic Services there were ‘no ill passengers or crew on board’, according to an email seen by The Australian.

But the ship reportedly logged the 158 sick passengers into the government’s biosecurity portal, Maritime Arrivals Reporting Systems (MARS). 

The Port Authority is concerned that it cannot trust on the captains of ships when they say nobody is ill.  

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 1,073

New South Wales: 436

Victoria: 229

Queensland: 221

Western Australia: 90

South Australia: 67

Tasmania: 16

Australian Capital Territory: 9

Northern Territory: 5

TOTAL CASES:  1,073

DEAD: 7

The email sent by a Port Authority General Manager on 13 March expressed ‘concerns about whether we can, in general, rely on the declaration from the Master of the vessel.’ 

The ship’s owner is reviewing how the discrepancy came about. 

An NSW Health spokesman, said: ‘NSW Health met the ship on March 8, conducted an on-board assessment for Influenza and COVID-19 on more than 360 people who identified as feeling unwell or who presented a recognisable risk through their travel history at the time.

‘Nine people who showed potential COVID-19 symptoms were isolated, tested for COVID-19, and these tests were negative.’  

NSW chief medical officer Kerry Chant said the ship had been considered ‘low risk’ before the diagnoses.   

When the ship docked on March 19,  doctors tested 13 unwell patients for COVID-19.

Four have tested positive. 

The cruise liner had been considered 'low risk' after a short cruise from Australia to New Zealand

The cruise liner had been considered ‘low risk’ after a short cruise from Australia to New Zealand

 

 

 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk