Coronavirus: Sydney cruise ship passengers screened by health authorities

Passengers have been permitted to leave a cruise ship after being screened for coronavirus by NSW health authorities.

Cruise ship passengers in Sydney have been screened for coronavirus, NSW Health says. Picture: John Grainger

Concerns were rife a cruise ship could be placed in quarantined in Sydney Harbour for weeks after reports emerged on Friday morning that a passenger on the Norwegian Jewel had been tested for the potentially fatal coronavirus, fuelling fears of a possible outbreak.

Unbeknown to hundreds of fellow passengers, three people were transferred to hospital for routine medical conditions on arrival in Sydney, and one individual was tested for respiratory illnesses, including the novel coronavirus and influenza.

Despite concerns a passenger could have contracted the virus, passengers were still allowed to disembark hours before the test results came back.

NSW Health confirmed on Friday that the individual had been eventually cleared of carrying the coronavirus.

“As cruise ships have a large number of passengers (often thousands), many of whom are older and have chronic medical conditions, passengers often require medical management while on the cruise or on disembarkation, unrelated to infectious diseases,” the department said.

“There was no outbreak of any disease on board.”

A representative for Norwegian Cruise Line, which operates the Norwegian Jewel, said no passengers on board had fallen ill.

“This morning, there were various false media reports related to an illness on board our ship,” a spokeswoman said. “There is absolutely no truth to this. The vessel remains in operation, and all guests on-board are in good health.”

Passengers disembark from the Norwegian Jewel cruise ship. Picture: John Grainger

After an hour delay before disembarking, Nan Truel, 68, from the US, who boarded the Norwegian Jewel in Auckland, said she began to worry they would undergo a similar quarantine as the Diamond Princess in Japan when their original docking time was delayed by one hour.

“I can tell you I feel happy we were able to get off the ship. One of my fears was that we would be quarantined for two weeks,” she said.

“The thought of being confined to a stateroom for two weeks was pretty terrifying.”

Brian and Susan Mackrell from Scotland said they weren’t certain screening for the virus was taking place on the ship.

“We weren’t aware of any screening on board but there were plenty of sanitation measures taking place to prevent the spread of any potential viruses. Everything that was previously self service was served by members of the crew. The menus were paper so they could be disposed of and hand sanitiser was dispensed in every section of the ship.”

Late on Friday, Japan began ­allowing elderly passengers who tested negative for the virus to leave the quarantined Diamond Princess and to finish their isolation in government-designated lodging.

Diamond Princess has been quarantined in the Japanese port of Yokohama since February 4 following an outbreak of the disease.

But Japan’s government has now given passengers aged 80 or older in poor health the chance to move from the ship to accommodation on land.

A government official said 11 people had left. At least 15 Australians are among the 218 passengers aboard the ship to have tested positive to the virus.

In Cambodia, another cruise ship, the Westerdam, finally docked after being turned away by several Asian and Pacific governments. No cases of the viral illness have been confirmed aboard, according to the ship’s operator.

Additional reporting: Angelica Snowden and agencies