Covid-19-Hit Coral Princess Cruise Ship Docked In Sydney

Coral Princess cruise ship carrying over 100 Covid positive individuals onboard has reportedly docked in Sydney.

After departing from Eden on the south coast of New South Wales with over 2,300 individuals onboard, the Coral Princess on Wednesday reportedly berthed at Circular Quay before dawn. It will stay there for a day before returning to its home port in Brisbane.

Passengers are required to record a negative COVID-19 result on a rapid antigen test before they disembark. However, the crew members will need to stay back.

The outbreak involves infected crew members, with 114 individuals in isolation, as reported on Tuesday. Four passengers were isolated after they tested positive, and 24 disembarked earlier in Brisbane, per John Gerrard, Queensland’s chief health officer.

NSW Health has mentioned that passengers who tested Covid positive carried the virus with them rather than getting infected at sea.

On Tuesday, the ship docked in Eden, and 800 passengers disembarked after testing negative.

Kristy McBain, the regional development minister of Eden-Monaro MP and NSW, said locals were happy to see the cruise ship dock after bushfires. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic heavily impacted the region.

A spokesperson associated with Princess Cruises said the crew who tested Covid positive had mild or asymptomatic symptoms.

At the onset of the pandemic in 2020, around March, another cruise liner of Princess – the Ruby Princess – was linked to one of the eight NSW coronavirus cases.

The latest outbreak on the cruise ship comes as concern rises regarding the increasing spread of the B.5 and B.4 subvariants of Omicron, which may even reinfect those who’ve had the infection earlier.

References: ABC News, The Guardian, 9 News

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Source: Maritime Shipping News