A COVID-riddled cruise ship has docked in Sydney with more than one hundred positive crew and passengers on board after a “successful” visit to the NSW South Coast on Tuesday.
The Coral Princess ship pulled in at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay just after 6am on Wednesday. Passengers wishing to disembark in Sydney will be required to produce a negative rapid antigen test and will be advised to wear masks while off the ship.
The Coral Princess arrived at Circular Quay just before sunrise on Wednesday morning. Credit:Peter Rae
The ship currently has 114 COVID-19 positive crew members on board and four positive passengers since departing Brisbane on Sunday. There are 2300 people in total on board.
In an updated statement on Wednesday, a spokesman from Princess Cruises said the cruise line anticipated the stop in Sydney to be “similarly successful” to its stop in Eden on the state’s South Coast.
“Guests reported receiving a warm welcome from the Eden community where businesses have been looking forward to the return of cruising to add impetus to the recovery of its tourism economy,” the statement said.
“Our focus has now turned to Coral Princess’s scheduled Sydney call today, which we anticipate will be similarly successful. Our priority is always the health, safety and wellbeing of our crew, guests and communities we visit.”
With passengers still waiting to disembark about 7am despite being docked in Circular Quay, one man told Nine’s Today program from his balcony he could not “wait to get off” the ship.
The ship will next head to Brisbane, where it will remain following its one-day pit stop in the harbour city.
The Coral Princess is a sister ship to the Ruby Princess, which was linked to 28 COVID-19 deaths in NSW in 2020.
NSW Health said passengers wishing to disembark had been advised to wear masks when on transport or in other public indoor spaces, physically distance wherever possible and to regularly use hand sanitiser.
“While a small number of passengers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since boarding the Coral Princess, their infections were most likely acquired prior to boarding and they subsequently tested positive,” a statement from NSW Health said.
“NSW Health’s assessment is that the COVID-19 risk level for the Coral Princess during this cruise is amber, which indicates a moderate impact to the vessel.”
Passengers on the ship have reported guests were still allowed to disembark during their stop at Brisbane. The self-serve buffet was also said to be open during the Brisbane stop.
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