Cruise Ship Majestic Princess With More Than 800 COVID-infected Passengers Docks In Sydney

Last Updated: 12th November, 2022 09:59 IST The Sydney docks saw a commotion when a holiday cruise ship carrying about 800 COVID-19-positive passengers docked at the city port.

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The Sydney docks saw a commotion when a holiday cruise ship carrying about 800 COVID-19-positive passengers docked at the city port. On Saturday, the Majestic Princess cruise ship arrived at the Circular Quay in Sydney, Australia. The BBC reported that the cruise ship which was sailing from New Zealand was carrying around 4,600 passengers aboard. 

According to BBC, the President of Cruise Operator Carnival Australia, Marguerite Fitzgerald claimed that a large number of COVID-19 cases started to be detected “about halfway through the 12-day voyage,” adding that “all cases were either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic.” Fitzgerald also claimed that the staff assisted all the guests who have tested positive. She then went on to claim that those who tested positive will get “private transportation and accommodation to complete their isolation period.” According to the North-South Wales Ministry of Health, an outbreak of this kind will make the risk level of the ship sit at Tier 3. Acknowledging the NSW guidelines Fitzgeral asserted, “We have been proactively preparing for and managing incidents of COVID-19 and continue to work closely with NSW Health, including adhering to the guidelines.”

‘We have learned a lot about COVID since Ruby Princess cruise ship incident’

A similar incident happened earlier in 2020 when the world was still figuring out how to navigate the COVID-19 crisis. In August 2020, at least 900 passengers aboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship tested COVID positive. The ship docked on the Australian dock on 19th March, after it completed the 11-day voyage from Sydney to New Zealand and back.

The Australian health authorities condemned the operators as all 2,700 passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney without any sufficient screening. After a thorough investigation, the matter was tackled swiftly and it was reported that the virus did not spread extensively in the community. When asked about the comparison between the two incidents in which the same operators were involved, Fitzgerald told BBC, “Since then, we as a community have learned a lot more about COVID.” When asked about the uninfected guests, Fitzgerald made it clear that “unimpacted guests are wearing masks and they will continue to disembark in Sydney. The incident has become a matter of concern as Australia is witnessing a spike in COVID-19 cases. The BBC reported that around 19,800 new cases were detected in the New South Wales region in the past 7 days till Friday.