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14 November, 2022

Health authorities urge cruise lines to warn passengers of COVID risk

Majestic Princess reportedly docked in Sydney on Friday with hundreds of passengers infected with COVID-19 on board.

NSW Health has clocked the ship’s alert level at the highest possible for those onboard with a tier three warning, which means at least 20 per cent of those onboard had COVID.

At the time, the ship had more than 3,000 passengers and 1,000 crew on board.

Carnival Australia, the parent company of Princess Cruises, told media there were about 800 infected people on board while the ship was docked in Sydney Harbour.

According to NSW Health, COVID cases are increasing throughout the community as the current wave of infections, driven by the new Omicron subvariants continues to grow.

“In any enclosed space, including cruise ships, there is always a risk that COVID-19 will spread,” the health authority said in a statement.

“Cruise ships must inform passengers of this risk. Prompt testing and isolation of cases, along with prevention through wearing masks and good hand hygiene, is important.”

Carnival advised NSW Health that all passengers and crew who tested positive were isolating and being cared for by the onboard medical team.

The cruise line said all passengers who disembarked undertook a rapid antigen test in the 24 hours leading up to disembarkation.

“Since cruising resumed in May, we have made more than 50 international and domestic voyages with a vast majority of more than 100,000 guests unimpacted by COVID,” said Marguerite Fitzgerald, president of Carnival Australia.

“However, the emergence of COVID in the community has meant we have seen a rise in positive cases on the last three voyages.

“We take our responsibility to keep everyone safe very seriously. This extends to not only caring for our guests, but also for the wider community in which we operate and visit.”

Fitzgerald said the past two years saw tourism operators strengthen their health and safety protocols, while high vaccination rates and access to anti-viral medication has bolstered the community’s resilience to COVID.

“Carnival Australia has been proactively preparing for and managing incidences of COVID,” she continued.

“This has meant implementing the most rigorous and strict measures which go well above current guidelines.

“These control measures are critical to the safe operation of an industry so many Australians rely on for their livelihood and for our guests who have been waiting years, to join us on a trip of a lifetime.”

Fitzgerald said the measures, which include vaccination requirements, mandatory testing prior to boarding and cleaning protocols among others, are continually evaluated to effectively manage cases while limiting exposure to the wider community and will remain in place for all voyages for the foreseeable future.

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