49 cruise passengers test positive for COVID-19 on Ruby Princess in Sydney

The number of people in the community who have tested positive for COVID-19 after disembarking a cruise ship in Sydney last week has risen to at least 49.

The Ruby Princess ship was carrying 1,100 crew and close to 2,700 passengers. Passengers were allowed to disembark Thursday in Sydney despite concerns that many were showing flu-like symptoms and test results for COVID-19 were still pending.

According to NSW Health, the number of passengers who have now tested positive as of Monday morning has risen to 49.So far NSW Health has identified 27 COVID-19 cases in NSW and 21 cases interstate among passengers who left the ship after it docked.

When leaving the ship, passengers were simply told to self isolate.The Federal Border Force and NSW Health have thrown blame at each other over who was ultimately responsible for the decision to allow passengers to disembark.

“Contrary to some public statements made, every cruise liner that has entered NSW ports has been the subject of an assessment well beyond Federal requirements,” NSW Health said in a statement Sunday evening.

On Monday, the department said there was no evidence at the time that passengers were infected with the novel coronavirus.Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant insisted there was no evidence of COVID-19 on board the Ruby Princess cruise ship during a press conference this morning.

"There was no outbreak on the ship," she told reporters alongside the premier on Monday.Dr Chant said there were some cases of the flu on the ship with the COVID-19 cases "subsequently" coming to light.

All cases from the cruise ship are in isolation at home or in hospital and all passengers and crew have been notified and asked to self-isolate for 14 days as investigations continue.

Source:Yahoo

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