Almost 2,000 people may be left stranded on a cruise ship in the Australian city of Broome due to a coronavirus outbreak among passengers, the Australian media reported on Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2022) Almost 2,000 people may be left stranded on a cruise ship in the Australian city of Broome due to a coronavirus outbreak among passengers, the Australian media reported on Monday.
Around 1,900 people who are on board of the Coral Princess cruise ship on the coast of Western Australia may be forced to isolate for as many as five days due to the coronavirus outbreak, as up to 100 passengers may be infected, according to The Australian newspaper.
"A rise in cases among guests is being managed effectively in accordance with the Protocols, which exceeds standards that apply to land-based venues," a spokesperson for Princess Cruises, the ship company responsible for Coral Princess, was quoted by The Australian as saying.
The authorities of Western Australia said that cruise ship operators should abide by local COVID-19 protocols and stay in lockdown for five days if coronavirus cases are reported on board.
"Regarding the Coral Princess, WA (Western Australia) Health has been advised of passengers and crew testing positive to Covid-19, and this evolving situation is being managed by the vessel operator according to its Covid-19 plan. Under the protocols, those on-board vessels who have Covid should isolate for five days," a spokesperson for the health department of Western Australia said in a statement, as quoted by The Australian.
The cruise ship was scheduled to leave Broome on October 24 and go past Geraldton, Fremantle, Busselton and Albany before returning to Sydney in November.
The Australian authorities have been closely monitoring ships coming to Australia since 2020. The country 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.
