Covid cruise ship docked in Sydney

The Majestic Princess cruise ship arrived at Circular Quay in Sydney, Australia on 12 November after sailing from New Zealand. Approximately one in five of the 4,600 passengers and crew aboard have the Covid-19 virus.

All cases are reported to be asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic.

Marguerite Fitzgerald, President of Carnival Australia, the cruise operator of the Majestic Princess, said that about halfway through the 12-day voyage a large number of cases began to be detected.

She said that staff would be assisting guests with a positive test ‘with accessing private transport and accommodation to complete their isolation period’.

The ship is due to depart for Melbourne soon.

Carnival Australia also owns the Ruby Princess cruise ship, which saw a Covid-19 outbreak in early 2020, with at least 900 people testing positive and 28 dying. On the comparison between the situations, Fitzgerald said: “Since then, we as a community have learnt a lot, a lot more about Covid.”

Cruise travel will still continue though, particularly as the majority of cruisers are unconcerned about Covid-19.