Coronavirus Australia: Health fear for Ruby Princess’s Captain Corona

Fears that the commodore of the Ruby Princess has been exposed to COVID-19 have emerged as a commission of inquiry is called.

Giorgio Pomata, the commodore of the Ruby Princess, was served meals by a crew member who has since tested positive for COVID-19.

Fears that the commodore of the Ruby Princess has been ­exposed to COVID-19 have emerged as ­Gladys Berejiklian bowed to pressure and called a commission of ­inquiry into the handling of the ill-fated cruise ship.

The Australian can reveal that the crew member responsible for serving meals to commodore Giorgio Pomata was among the latest of those on-board to test positive.

The revelations of continued infections on the Ruby Princess came as the NSW Premier ordered an inquiry into the arrival of the ship into Sydney Harbour on March 19 and the decision to allow passengers to disembark ­before COVID-19 testing was completed.

The inquiry, announced on Wednesday, will be overseen by Bret Walker SC — who successfully had Cardinal George Pell’s conviction for historical sexual abuse overturned by the High Court last week — and will last three to four months.

Ms Berejiklian said Mr Walker would have unlimited powers and can choose how to use them. “Everyone wants answers, everyone wants to get to the bottom of that issue,” she said.

The terms of reference will be determined in the next few days and the inquiry is due to start immediately.

NSW Health revealed on Tuesday that the number of infected personnel on the Ruby Princess had more than doubled in the past week, with 128 of the 1056 crew confirmed to have the disease — 69 crew members ­remained symptomatic for the virus, while 59 who were thought to have recovered have since ­tested positive.

However, The Australian has learned the number of those ­infected could be far higher, with only a quarter of those on-board so far tested.

 

Just 264 people have been ­tested by Aspen Medical, the independent contractor managing quarantine conditions on the ship. Positive results are being returned in nearly 50 per cent of cases.

Non-symptomatic crew members have been told they will have to wait until the ship’s medical staff finish monitoring those who have returned positive results before they can be examined.

In addition to being captain of the Ruby Princess, Mr Pomata is commodore for all 17 ships in Princess Cruises’ fleet. He joined the company in 1978 and is one of its most experienced personnel, according to a company biography.

Dean Summers, national co-ordinator of the International Transport Workers Federation, said a new batch of swabs from crew had been assessed by NSW Health and these revealed the crew member assisting Mr ­Pomata had tested positive.

He said many of those who tested positive had been delivering food to isolated crew members.

The Australian revealed on Tuesday that until last weekend meals for the 1056 crew members stranded on the ship were being prepared in the galley, identified as the likely epicentre for the outbreak of COVID-19.

“(The virus) is not being contained on board the ship,” said Mr Summers, who is in routine contact with a large number of crew members.

“The guy that cleans his (the captain’s) cabin has tested positive, and now that whole process (of testing) has to be reset again ­because of his contact.”

Carnival Australia and NSW Health did not respond to questions.

Some of those in quarantine have been provided with luxury cabins with balconies; others are confined below deck.

On Monday night, the ship’s hotel general manager used the public announcement system to try to quell growing disquiet over the narrow testing of crew members. He ruled out wide-scale ­testing in the short term and said authorities were focused on ­testing people who appeared to have recovered from the virus, to “make certain they are not able to spread (it)”.

“I know there are people asking to be tested themselves,” said the general manager, in a recording obtained by The Australian.

“We understand of course that testing protocols may be confusing for some people.

“Testing more groups may occur in the future, but at the ­moment our focus is only on testing the people that are necessary, to help manage the ship’s ­quarantine. I’m sure you all understand that.”

In an attempt to boost morale, everyone on board was asked to clap and cheer, loud enough to be audible all over the ship.

NSW Police deliver care packages to the Ruby Princess crew.

“Please make sure though you wear your mask outside, and as I said yesterday, cheer extra loud for our friends that are living in windowless rooms, so that they can hear the noise and be part of this experience,” he said.

A decision on how to manage the ship has not been decided. On Tuesday, NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller signalled it would remain docked at Port Kembla due to the uncertainty around the safety and welfare of those on-board.

“We’re working with Carnival and the ship to make sure that anyone who is ill is brought off the ship and treated properly,” Mr Fuller said. “But we do need to reach a point where (NSW) Health are satisfied that we have passed the transmission rate, that we can send the ship on its way without endangering anyone’s life.”