Coral Princess: Passengers from cruise ship with Covid-19 outbreak explore city of Burnie
A cruise ship in the throes of a Covid outbreak docked in a Tasmanian city on Saturday, with the vast majority of passengers exploring the place upon their arrival.
Tasmania
Don't miss out on the headlines from Tasmania. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A cruise ship in the throes of a Covid outbreak docked in Burnie on Saturday, with the vast majority of passengers exploring the seaside city on their arrival.
But the operator of the Coral Princess said the situation on the ship was much improved and there were sufficient safeguards in place to limit further spread of the virus.
The cruise liner berthed at Burnie Port on Saturday morning and departed for Sydney, its final destination, about 4pm.
It comes after a 27 per cent increase in Covid cases (902) was recorded in Tasmania in the week to October 28, as Public Health warns a new wave of infections is looming.
A Princess Cruises spokeswoman said the outbreak on the Coral Princess had “improved considerably in recent days” but would not say how many positive cases there were on-board.
“We continue to monitor closely the small number of guests who continue to isolate and are being cared for in their stateroom by our medical and support staff,” she said on Saturday.
“All cases on board have been asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. The vast majority of our 2000 passengers are currently unimpacted.
“All guests who plan to go ashore in Burnie today must undertake a rapid antigen test 24 hours prior to disembarking.”
It’s understood an overwhelming majority of passengers were expected to disembark and see the sights in the regional city.
The Coral Princess was on day 24 of a 28-day circumnavigation of Australia, which concludes on Tuesday, November 8.
Greens health spokeswoman Rosalie Woodruff said it was a “reckless decision” by the state government and health authorities to allow the ship to dock in Burnie “without any mandated Covid safeguards”.
“The ship’s protocols mean inevitably there is a very high chance some passengers disembarking in Burnie will be infectious,” she said.
“Despite this likely risk, the Liberals are allowing hundreds of passengers to leave the ship and enter the Burnie community without even requiring passengers to take the most basic protections.”
A Covid outbreak in Burnie’s North West Regional Hospital in March 2020 plunged the region into weeks of lockdown, with 138 cases ultimately linked to the outbreak and at least 10 deaths.
On Thursday, Public Health director Mark Veitch said the ship and state authorities were managing the situation in accordance with agreed protocols allowing cruising to resume in Australia.
“I understand that because of the experience in 2020 Tasmanians will have anxiety about cruise ships, and that is absolutely understandable …” he said.
“It will pose no greater risk to the Tasmanian public than any other person who enters Tasmania from another route.
“The people who are on the vessel who are cases are being confined to their cabins and are not being allowed to go out on excursions. People who are not cases are being tested regularly.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Coral Princess: Passengers from cruise ship with Covid-19 outbreak explore city of Burnie
Serial violent offender beats up dad’s neighbour with chair leg
He previously punched a supermarket worker in the face and hit his father in the back with a chair. Now, a man is in trouble again for his latest alcohol-fuelled assault.
Royal Hobart Hospital cleaners ‘floored’ by staff move
Lack of hospital linen and staffing shortages are common complaints among Royal Hobart Hospital’s cleaning staff. But management’s latest move has left staff feeling “floored”.