The photo that shows why Ruby Princess cruise never stood a chance

A photograph taken on the Ruby Princess cruise ship has laid bare why the 2,647 passengers on board never stood a chance when coronavirus ripped through the vessel.  

Hundreds of well-dressed passengers on board the luxury cruise are seen crammed together as they applaud staff, unaware of the fact coronavirus had already made its way onto the liner – likely through a crew member working in the kitchen – and was spreading like wildfire. 

Despite the World Health Organisation declaring a pandemic just three days into the journey and encouraging social distancing to slow the spread of the illness, business carried on as usual on board. 

Social distancing wasn’t being practiced and passengers claim they were free to mingle after completing a health questionnaire before they boarded – even though it was already known people could carry and spread the disease without displaying symptoms. 

Hundreds of holidaymakers can be seen crammed together applauding the staff from the gold-trimmed staircase on board the Ruby Princess, unaware of the fact coronavirus had already made its way onto the liner

The cruise was cut three days short as the coronavirus crisis escalated across the world and two passengers developed symptoms consistent with the virus.

But thousands of passengers who hadn’t had health checks were still able to disembark in Sydney under the cover of darkness at 2.30am on March 19 after a spectacular breakdown in communication between port authorities, ambulance officers and cruise officials.

They were allowed to leave despite the fact the Ruby Princess issued an urgent mayday call for an ambulance for two of its passengers presenting with coronavirus-like symptoms 24 hours before the ship docked. 

A criminal investigation has been launched into how the ship was allowed to dock, with 18 passengers since dying of coronavirus and at least 700 passengers and crew infected. 

At least 664 passengers on the luxury liner, which departed Sydney on March 8 and returned on March 19, were infected with the virus, and 18 of Australia’s coronavirus deaths are linked to the ship

An criminal investigation is now looking into how passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney despite coronavirus wreaking havoc on board (Pictured: Police in full protective gear going onto the ship)

Stacie Hunt, 36, who was on the Ruby Princess with her extended family, said passengers were aware of the seriousness of the outbreak, but believed they were safe on board. 

‘People were selfish and thought they were safe being away on a boat,’ she told the Australian Financial Review. 

‘I had people sneeze all over me. I had people squeeze themselves into lifts that were already too full.’

A Princess Cruises spokesman said there was no reason to believe there was COVID-19 on the ship because anyone displaying symptoms was not allowed on board, and crew members were tested by health authorities before the ship began its journey on March 8.   

On Monday NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said a crew member serving food may have been responsible for the outbreak.

The coronial investigation was launched after passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney without adequate health checks on March 19 

‘At this stage we would think that it was probably a crew member working in probably the galley, someone who is serving food, someone who would get across a number of passengers for it to spread like it has,’ he told reporters.

‘But again, that is not proven as fact yet, but that would seem to be the most obvious point of transmission is someone who is handling food on behalf of multiple hundreds of people.’ 

Fallout from the Ruby Princess debacle is continuing to be felt around Australia with two Tasmanian hospitals having to be shut down because of infections caused by passengers. 

The Ruby Princess has been docked in Port Kembla, near Wollongong south of Sydney, for the investigation. About 1,000 crew members remain quarantined on the ship.

About 90 crew members have reported coronavirus-like symptoms, and 66 have tested positive for the illness. 

A thousand crew members on board the Ruby Princess (pictured) have been fed meals prepared in the luxury liner’s galley, despite warning the kitchen was likely the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak 

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 6,394

New South Wales: 2,870

Victoria: 1,291

Queensland: 998

South Australia: 431

Western Australia: 523

Australian Capital Territory: 103

Tasmania: 150

Northern Territory: 28

TOTAL CASES:  6,394

RECOVERED: 3,499

DEAD: 61

On Thursday, a crew member, 24, was rushed to Wollongong Hospital. Their condition is not yet known.

It has emerged, the crew were being fed meals prepared on board the ship for weeks after the outbreak was discovered.

Aspen Medical, the government-appointed contractor managing the quarantined ship, only stopped allowing food to be prepared in the galley on Saturday. 

The company, which specialises in infection control and isolation protocols, had been overseeing health and safety for Ruby Princess for weeks when it suddenly decided to provide prepackaged meals from dry land instead.

It is not clear why the company made the decision to stop preparing food in the ship’s kitchen ahead of the Commissioner’s announcement this week.

National coordinator of the International Transport Workers Federation Dean Summers told The Australian the call to stop preparing food in the galley was made too late. 

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller (pictured) said it a crew member working in the galley ‘probably’ spread coronavirus around the cruise ship 

The cruise liner, which departed Sydney on March 8 for New Zealand and returned on March 19, led to more than 600 cases of COVID-19 cases nationwide. The boat is currently docked at Port Kembla (pictured)

The crew potentially were put at high risk of catching the virus because of the food they were eating, Mr Summers said. 

‘It’s an absolute shambles. The galley was ­operational, it was feeding all of the crew, and then Aspen Medical thought it might be a way of spreading it,’ he said.

‘Why wouldn’t you think that on the very first day?’

A coronial investigation was launched after some 2,700 passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney without adequate health checks – an action the Australian Border Force blamed on NSW health authorities. 

Federal Opposition health spokesman Chris Bowen said the fiasco has turned into a ‘national scandal’.

Eighteen people who were on board the damned cruise ship have died from COVID-19, with two deaths confirmed on Monday.

NSW Health Acting Director Dr Christine Selvey on Monday said both Ruby Princess passengers who died in NSW on Monday had caught the virus on board.

A 74-year-old woman died in John Hunter Hospital and a 79-year-old man died in the Northern Beaches Hospital.

Last week, police in full protective gear boarded the ship and seized evidence, including the voyage data recorder, which has conversations from the bridge.

Health authorities confirmed that there have been 34 cases of secondary infection caused by Ruby Princess passengers across the country. 

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Aspen Medical for comment. 

The Department of Home Affairs said they had ‘nothing further to add to the NSW Police Commissioner’s comments’.

Timeline of Ruby Princess fiasco

March 18: The Ruby Princess issues an urgent mayday call for an ambulance for two of its passengers presenting with coronavirus-like symptoms 24 hours before the ship is allowed to dock in Sydney. 

March 19: The Ruby Princess arrives in Sydney Harbour. More than 2,700 guests are allowed to disembark without adequate health checks. 

March 25: Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram says New South Wales Health is responsible for letting coronavirus patients disembark the ship.

March 29: Several crew members are evacuated and taken to hospital after being diagnosed with coronavirus.

April 2: A 66-year-old crew member is taken off the Ruby Princess for medical treatment. More than 200 crew members are sick and in self-isolation.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian defends the actions of NSW Health and the Australian Border Force and points the finger at the Ruby Princess. She claims staff onboard may have misled NSW Health about the extent of illnesses in passengers.

April 3: Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton alleges Ruby Princess’ operators weren’t transparent about the health of crew: ‘It was ‘clear that some of the companies have been lying about the health of passengers and crew on board’.

April 4: Leaked emails show NSW Health knew of the coronavirus risk on board the Ruby Princess before allowing its thousands of passengers to disembark. 

April 5: A criminal investigation is launched into how passengers were able to disembark without health checks 

April 8: A team of 30 detectives from state crime, counter terrorism and marine area command start investigating the handling of the Ruby Princess coronavirus scandal. The first briefing into the investigation is held.

April 9: NSW Police clad in PPE equipment raid the vessel, questioning its captain and searching for evidence in a rapid escalation of the criminal investigation.

April 11: NSW Health confirms that at least 46 crew members of the Ruby Princess cruise ship have contracted COVID-19

April 13: NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller says patient zero on board may have been a crew member serving meals to hundreds of passengers 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk