Sydney - Almost half of a group of crew members from the Ruby
Princess cruise ship who were showing symptoms tested positive for
the novel coronavirus, Australian health authorities said Saturday.
Of the 97 staff from the cruise ship docked south of Sydney who were
tested after showing flu-like and respiratory symptoms, 46 received
positive results, New South Wales Health said in a statement.
Further testing will follow in the coming days, the statement added.
The full crew is made up of 1,040 staff. Several crew members had
already been taken from the ship to Australian hospitals. The ship is
due to leave Australia in ten days.
The Ruby Princess has been docked next to a coal terminal in the
industrial city of Port Kembla for a week.
Investigators in protective gear examine material from the Ruby Princess cruise ship at Wollongong, Australia. Police boarded the cruise ship to seize evidence and question crew members after the vessel was linked to hundreds of Covid-19 cases and more than a dozen deaths across Australia. Picture: Nathan Patterson/NSW Police via AP
Police are carrying out a criminal investigation into how almost
2,700 passengers were allowed to leave the ship in Sydney without
proper isolation or health checks on March 19.
The Ruby Princess cruise ship is docked in Wollongong, Australia. Picture: Nathan Patterson/NSW Police via AP
Investigators in protective gear prepare to board the Ruby Princess cruise ship in Wollongong, Australia. Picture: Nathan Patterson/NSW Police via AP
The release of the passengers is linked to more than 600 Covid-19
cases and 16 deaths. It is the single biggest source of coronavirus
infections in Australia.