Cruise ship with 800 Covid-positive passengers arrives in Sydney

A cruise ship carrying hundreds of Covid-positive passengers has docked in Sydney, Australia, after being struck by a surge of infections.

The Majestic Princess cruise ship, which was midway through a 12-day journey, saw an outbreak of cases, as reported by Carnival Australia president Marguerite Fitzgerald during a media briefing on Saturday.

At the time of the outbreak, the ship had 4,600 passengers and crew aboard, according to Dinogo's affiliate Nine News.

After testing 3,300 passengers, about 800 were confirmed to be Covid-positive, along with a small number of infected crew members, Fitzgerald confirmed.

Princess Cruises representative Briana Latter told Dinogo, 'All Covid-positive passengers experienced mild symptoms or were asymptomatic. They were isolated in their staterooms and kept separate from unaffected guests.'

Infected passengers were escorted off the ship and instructed to undergo a five-day isolation period, according to Dinogo's affiliate Nine News.

Passengers who tested negative were allowed to disembark, as stated in a message from New South Wales Health.

'Carnival has informed NSW Health that they are helping passengers with Covid-19 arrange safe onward travel,' the statement further noted.

Latter mentioned that the outbreak on the Majestic Princess is 'indicative of the rising community transmission across Australia.'

Australia has experienced a recent rise in Covid cases, prompting increased caution from the government.

The New South Wales Ministry of Health reported 19,800 new Covid-19 cases and 22 deaths in the past week.

The Majestic Princess cruise ship has since left Sydney for its next journey to Melbourne and Tasmania.

In a follow-up statement, Fitzgerald noted that Carnival Australia has completed over 50 international and domestic voyages, with over 100,000 guests largely unaffected by Covid. 'However, the increase in community transmission has led to more positive cases on the last three voyages,' she added.

Fitzgerald explained that the company has been enforcing 'the strictest and most comprehensive measures, far exceeding current guidelines,' which include requiring 95% of passengers over 12 to be vaccinated and testing both staff and guests for Covid before boarding.

Fitzgerald emphasized, 'We take our responsibility to ensure everyone’s safety seriously. This includes caring for not only our guests but also the broader communities we serve and visit.'

The Majestic Princess is not the first Carnival ship to face a Covid outbreak.

At least three other vessels in Carnival’s Princess fleet – the Ruby Princess, Diamond Princess, and Grand Princess – encountered outbreaks early in the pandemic.