P&O Pacific Explorer hit with Covid outbreak as it docks in Sydney

Authorities refuse to allow ANOTHER Covid-hit cruise ship from disembarking because there’s more than 100 infected passengers – despite 40,000 cases across Australia

  • Another luxury cruise ship hit by Covid outbreak docked in Sydney on Monday 
  • P&O Pacific Explorer returned from its nine-day round trip to Queensland 
  • About 2,800 crew and passengers were on board with 100 testing positive 

Another cruise ship hit with a Covid outbreak has docked in Sydney with more than 100 passengers testing positive to the virus. 

The P&O Pacific Explorer ended its nine-day round trip to Queensland as it made its way into Sydney Harbour at 5.30am on Monday.

About 2,800 crew and passengers were onboard the ship with holidaymakers required to return a negative Covid test before they can freely disembark.

The strict measure comes despite as many as 40,000 Covid cases being recorded across the country each day.

It is the second Covid-infected cruise ship to dock in Sydney in a week after the Coral Princess brought back more than 125 infected people on Wednesday. 

The P&O Pacific Explorer ended its nine-day round trip to Queensland as it made its way into Sydney Harbour at 5.30am on Monday (pictured, stock image)

Passengers infected on the latest cruise were forced to isolate in their rooms for the duration of the trip.

Holidaymakers who live in Sydney will be allowed to return to their homes to isolate.

Travellers who came from interstate will be put up in a hotel room at the expense of P&O.

NSW Health said the passengers would not be supervised as it was not considered to be hotel quarantine. 

Sharon Zahabi and her family were among the passengers who were in isolation.

‘Every time you go into any of those marquees or theatre rooms or in to eat you have to have your mask on … I mean they’re cleaning all the time, sanitising,’ she told Nine News. 

She said the outbreak would not discourage her from making future trips.

‘We booked knowing that there’s a chance that we could catch Covid and we still came and we will still cruise again as well,’ she said. 

P&O will provide a refund to passengers who were forced into isolation during the trip.  

Passengers disembarking from the Coral Princess last week claimed staff allowed them to leave without checking their Covid test results. 

About 2,800 crew and passengers were onboard the ship with holidaymakers required to return a negative Covid test before they can freely disembark

About 2,800 crew and passengers were onboard the ship with holidaymakers required to return a negative Covid test before they can freely disembark

It is the second covid-infected cruise ship to dock in Sydney in a week after the Coral Princess (pictured) brought back more than 125 infected people on Wednesday

It is the second covid-infected cruise ship to dock in Sydney in a week after the Coral Princess (pictured) brought back more than 125 infected people on Wednesday

Latest Covid figures in Australia 

LATEST COVID-19 IN THE 24 HOURS TO SUNDAY:

NSW: 10,198 cases, 12 deaths, 2057 in hospital with 63 in ICU

Victoria: 9630 cases, 16 deaths, 760 in hospital with 37 in ICU

Queensland: 5989 cases, no deaths, 876 in hospital with 20 in ICU

WA: 5933 cases, no deaths, 377 in hospital with 17 in ICU

SA: 3358 cases, one death, 288 in hospital with 10 in ICU

NT: 463 cases, no deaths, 42 in hospital with one in ICU

ACT: 956 cases, no deaths, 167 in hospital with six in ICU

Tasmania: 1410 cases, one death, 36 in hospital with none in ICU.

 

NSW Health previously said passengers would only be allowed to disembark after they had returned a negative rapid antigen test. 

However, two of those getting off the cruise ship – who were identified only as Julia and John – told SkyNews that their test had not been checked. 

‘We just walked off,’ John said.

Julie also was less than impressed with what she’d witnessed in the ship’s food and beverage areas.

‘So you wash your hands when you go into the buffet but then people are coughing and picking up tongs and things like that,’ she said, imitating someone coughing into their hands.’

She also said that while all the staff had been wearing masks, not all the passengers were.

The couple, who are cruise veterans, said the experience would put them off going to sea again.

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