MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th July, 2022) More than 100 people contracted COVID-19 on board cruise ship Coral Princess off the northeast coast of Australia, Australian media reported on Tuesday.
According to the 9News broadcaster, COVID-19 cases were detected at Coral Princess while the ship was traveling from Port Douglas to Brisbane. This is the first case of mass COVID-19 contamination since the lifting of the cruise ban in April 2022.
Some passengers have gone ashore and are being isolated at home or in special facilities, but most have remained on the ship, which is now heading from Brisbane to Sydney, the broadcaster said, adding that most of those infected are crew members.
"Under the protocols, all crew must be fully vaccinated and we also regularly conduct surveillance testing of all crew. Some recorded positive tests in a recent full screening and were isolated and have no contact with guests," a Princess Cruises company spokesman was quoted as saying.
Australia banned entry of foreign ships in March 2020, after the cruise ship Ruby Princess allegedly triggered the spread of COVID-19 across the country from a Sydney port.
