Ovation of the Seas passengers docked in Sydney exposed to COVID-19
A 67-year-old man who travelled from Canada before joining the Ovation of the Seas cruise liner has tested positive to COVID-19 — and passengers were only informed three days after the ship docked in Sydney.
NSW
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Three days after cruise ship Ovation of the Seas arrived in Sydney, passengers have been told there was someone aboard with a confirmed case of coronavirus.
The news comes as the number of coronavirus cases in NSW ballooned to 436 on Saturday after 83 new cases were identified in the state, taking the national total past the 1000 mark.
The passenger aboard the Ovation of the Seas was infectious for the past two days of the aborted cruise, which sailed towards New Zealand but turned around at sea when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern closed the country’s borders to all foreigners.
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NSW Health has since revealed a 67-year-old man who travelled from Canada before joining the cruise has tested positive for the virus.
The passengers were free to leave the cruise ship at Circular Quay on Wednesday without having their temperature taken and were told not to self-isolate.
It comes a day after it was revealed that the Ruby Princess ship was allowed to dock in Sydney with four people carrying the potentially deadly virus.
Like the Ruby Princess, in all cases passengers were allowed to disembark without being tested.
Two of the cases happened on two separate journeys of the Voyager of the Seas, with the other two cases coming on the Ovation of the Seas and the Celebrity Solstice.
“The risk assessment processes developed by NSW Health for cruise ships have been far in excess of those in other jurisdictions,” NSW Health said.
“All travellers from international cruises must self-quarantine for 14 days after disembarkation.”
There have been three other cases of cruise ship passengers disembarking in Sydney after contracting COVID-19 — a woman in her 20s and a 66-year-old man who were on the Voyager of the Seas; and a male passenger on the Celebrity Solstice, which docked in Sydney on March 20, also has the illness.
The cases represent a spike in the number of new COVID-19 diagnoses – with 46 recorded in NSW in the 24 hours to 8pm Thursday night before the 83 new cases were discovered in the 24 hours up until 8pm Friday night.
NSW Health is scrambling to contact thousands of people who were onboard all four cruise ships which visited Sydney this month.
“The majority of cases diagnosed in NSW were either acquired overseas or are a contact of a known case,” NSW Health said.
“Seventy-four cases have been locally acquired without an identified source of infection. Investigations to establish any links between cases in order to prevent further spread are ongoing.”
Ovation of the Seas passengers Faye Wheatley, 67, and her husband Colin Wheatley, 72, have lashed Australian Border Force officials for not taking more precautions.
“We would have isolated if we had to, but the captain and immigration said everything was fine,” Mrs Wheatley said.
“Border Force said we didn’t have to do any isolation.
“We all got temperature when we got on board but not when we got off.
“We didn’t even have to go through immigration because we hadn’t got off the ship in a foreign country – we went close to New Zealand but turned around at sea.”
There are no known linked cases, no evidence of an outbreak of respiratory illness on the ship or people who developed symptoms on the last day of the cruise.
All passengers are being contacted and advised to self-quarantine and be on the alert for symptoms.
The ship is docked in Sydney with only crew onboard.
Meanwhile, the NSW government has signed a public health order to restrict movement to Lord Howe Island.
Beginning at 5am Sunday morning, access to the island will be restricted to locals, health and other essential service workers.
People arriving on the island will be made to self quarantine for 14 days with the order to run to at least June 18.