Covid-19: Pandemic returns to Australia with 800 infections aboard a ship
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: The Covid-19 pandemic appeared returning to Australia on Saturday with nearly 800 people testing positive on a cruise ship in Sydney, the media reported.
The health officials called it a “high-risk” incident, and rated the fresh Covid-19 outbreak’s risk level at “Tier 3”, showing a high level of transmission.
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil reassured the panicked people that the pandemic protocols were adequate after a cruise ship with hundreds of infected passengers docked in Sydney.
Carnival Australia’s Majestic Princess cruise ship was docked in Sydney, the capital of the most populous state, New South Wales, with “in the vicinity” of 800 passengers on board testing positive for the virus, the company said.
It sparked comparisons with a 2020 outbreak onboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship. That outbreak, also in New South Wales, led to 914 infections and 28 deaths, an inquiry found, according to reports.
O’Neil said the officials have created “regular protocols” in the wake of the Ruby Princess episode and that New South Wales Health agency would take the lead on determining how to get passengers off the Majestic Princess “on a case-by-case basis.”
Federal border force officer will play a supplementary role to the state officials, she told reporters in Melbourne.
Carnival Australia, part of global leisure company Carnival Corporation & plc, said the Covid-positive passengers were isolated onboard and being cared for by medical staff, according to New South Wales Health. The agency said it was working with cruise ship staff to monitor the health of passengers and crew members.
The fresh outbreak came as Covid-19 cases rise across Australia, reflecting community transmission of the Omicron variant XBB, the federal government said this week.
The revival of the pandemic in China has locked down over 230 million people across dozens of towns and cities.
