Ruby Princess arrival yesterday IMPORTANT

[BulldustHHH]

One of the Ruby Princess passengers has been reported as passing away:

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-24/coronavirus-cases-in-nsw-increase-and-pass-800/12080260

[NSWP]

Sad news, 133 confirmed cases now from Ruby and on the rise I fear.   The ship is still  hanging around coast off Sydney, one wonders how many crew will be positive cases. No doubt crew testing going on at sea by ships doctors and/or government health officials.   

[megsie]

Helicopter footage on the news this evening showed the crew fraternising on deck with no regards to the distancing recommendations from each other. There are bound to be more crew as there will be more than the 133 cruisers and 1 death so far. 

There is also some talk of a class action but not sure if it is with Princess, authorities or both. 

[Kenswing]

From Princess..

 

[NSWP]

1 hour ago, Kenswing said:

From Princess..

 

Damage control. The New South Wales (Sydeny) Health Commission and Australian Border Force are copping the flack here, incompetence at its best I feel by the state and federal authorities.

Edited March 27, 2020 by NSWP

[NSWP]

On 3/24/2020 at 9:26 PM, megsie said:

Helicopter footage on the news this evening showed the crew fraternising on deck with no regards to the distancing recommendations from each other. There are bound to be more crew as there will be more than the 133 cruisers and 1 death so far. 

There is also some talk of a class action but not sure if it is with Princess, authorities or both. 

I read the crew have moved into pax cabins including balcony cabins, there was a lucky draw for the mini suites I do believe.  'Come Back New' guys, you crew members deserve to.

 

 

Edited March 27, 2020 by NSWP

[HappyInVan]

5 hours ago, NSWP said:

Damage control. The New South Wales (Sydeny) Health Commission and Australian Border Force are copping the flack here, incompetence at its best I feel by the state and federal authorities.

 

That's the legal defense that Stuart and Princess will be using. "We're just following the rules." "We have no responsibility beyond that." "Someone else is in charge." "We're really concerned about the health of crew and pax." "Really!"

 

 

[Aus Traveller]

11 minutes ago, HappyInVan said:

 

That's the legal defense that Stuart and Princess will be using. "We're just following the rules." "We have no responsibility beyond that." "Someone else is in charge." "We're really concerned about the health of crew and pax." "Really!"

I don't see why you make the comment you did. 🙂

 

Officers (medical and otherwise) on the Ruby Princess were not aware that anyone on board had the covid-19 virus. They answered the questions from the NSW Health Department regarding the health of everyone on board. Thirteen people (I think it was 13) on board with flu-like symptoms had been isolated in their cabins. The ship did not carry testing equipment for covid-19. Apparently other ships did not have them either.

 

Passengers filled in a form on their health condition a day before arriving in Sydney and they were all given instructions on self-isolating at home for 14 days, or immediately going to the airport for international travel.

 

After the ship advised NSW Health of the status of passengers - keep in mind that they could not say pax had or did not have covid-19 - the NSW Health Dept decided the ship was 'low risk' because it had only been to New Zealand. Health Department officials boarded the ship to test the sick passengers, and authorised disembarkation to proceed without waiting for these tests to be carried out. (BTW, a couple of days earlier, on the Golden Princess in Melbourne, passengers were held on board until tests has been completed.)

 

Later in the day, three of those tests taken on the Ruby Princess came back positive. The others were negative. The NSW Health Minister has said that in hindsight, it would have been better to keep the passengers on board. Duh!! You would think so wouldn't you? The feeling in Australia is that responsibility falls onto the NSW Health Department.

[teamflames]

6 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I don't see why you make the comment you did. 🙂

 

Officers (medical and otherwise) on the Ruby Princess were not aware that anyone on board had the covid-19 virus. They answered the questions from the NSW Health Department regarding the health of everyone on board. Thirteen people (I think it was 13) on board with flu-like symptoms had been isolated in their cabins. The ship did not carry testing equipment for covid-19. Apparently other ships did not have them either.

 

Passengers filled in a form on their health condition a day before arriving in Sydney and they were all given instructions on self-isolating at home for 14 days, or immediately going to the airport for international travel.

 

After the ship advised NSW Health of the status of passengers - keep in mind that they could not say pax had or did not have covid-19 - the NSW Health Dept decided the ship was 'low risk' because it had only been to New Zealand. Health Department officials boarded the ship to test the sick passengers, and authorised disembarkation to proceed without waiting for these tests to be carried out. (BTW, a couple of days earlier, on the Golden Princess in Melbourne, passengers were held on board until tests has been completed.)

 

Later in the day, three of those tests taken on the Ruby Princess came back positive. The others were negative. The NSW Health Minister has said that in hindsight, it would have been better to keep the passengers on board. Duh!! You would think so wouldn't you? The feeling in Australia is that responsibility falls onto the NSW Health Department.

I remember Akaroa in NZ wouldn’t let them disembark because of concerns Covid19 was onboard 

[HappyInVan]

4 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I don't see why you make the comment you did. 🙂

 

 

 

The medical officer on board was concerned enough to take  13 swabs. Fortunately, some health officers were also concerned enough to test the swabs. Don't know what passed between the MO and the health officers. There should be an inquiry to find out what went on between the captain and the MO.

 

We'll never find out unless the vessel and its officers return to NSW.

 

At least 133 pax were infected. Some left the ship coughing and sneezing. The captain was reported to have assured the Minister that that was no illness on board? Negligence or oversight?

 

Best to forgo judgement until all the facts are known?

 

 

 

 

.

[HappyInVan]

Just checked a timeline of events...

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/24/anatomy-of-a-coronavirus-disaster-how-2700-people-were-let-off-the-ruby-princess-cruise-ship-by-mistake

 

On the March 8^th return to Sydney, the vessel was deemed 'medium risk' because of the number of ill people on board. 13 were highlighted but none were found to be infected. However, the Darwin couple returned home and were found to be infected.

 

Presumably, that's why the vessel had 5 pax tested in Wellington. Their tests were not positive.

 

On the return to NSW on the 19^th, there were no checks because the vessel was deemed as 'low risk'. The Minster reported that he had been assured by the Captain that no illness was onboard.

 

“It should be noted, no cases of COVID-19 had been identified by doctors on board before docking,” NSW Health said

 

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/health-safety/coronavirus-australia-ruby-princess-passenger-70-dies-from-covid19/news-story/a289cf1872d31d7b8c1d1146035749a5

 

 

That said, one pax was evacuated off the vessel to the hospital. She died March 23^rd. In addition, two pax reported to a Sydney hospital after disembarkation. They were infected. As was one crew member.

 

By March 24, 133 Aussie pax were infected. That's 8% of the Aussie pax.

 

Looks like NSW Health made a mistake in lowering the risk assessment for the disembarkation on the 19^th. But, clearly many pax were ill and one was dying. Hard to believe that the MO did not highlight the possibility of COVID19 to the captain.

 

8% of pax were infected, and they were infected during the journey. Not at the party on the last night. How do you conceal that from the ship's officers?

 

Meanwhile, NSW Health is shifting the blame to Canberra...

 

“According to the protocol, “provided there are no concerns about the COVID-19 risk profile of a ship or suspected COVID-19 cases reported” a ship may be allowed to continue the voyage while samples are being tested.”

 

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/coronavirus/how-the-ruby-princess-possibly-became-the-biggest-single-contributor-to-covid-19-in-australia/ar-BB11yhdO

[teamflames]

Call me a conspiracy theorist but the more I think about it, I think no authority wanted to take responsibility for the quarantine of 3k people and decided the political fallout was easier

[Aus Traveller]

26 minutes ago, HappyInVan said:

Just checked a timeline of events...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/24/anatomy-of-a-coronavirus-disaster-how-2700-people-were-let-off-the-ruby-princess-cruise-ship-by-mistake

 

On the March 8^th return to Sydney, the vessel was deemed 'medium risk' because of the number of ill people on board. 13 were highlighted but none were found to be infected. However, the Darwin couple returned home and were found to be infected. Presumably, that's why the vessel had 5 pax tested in Wellington. Their tests were not positive.

 

On the return to NSW on the 19^th, there were no checks because the vessel was deemed as 'low risk'. The Minster reported that he had been assured by the Captain that no illness was onboard. “It should be noted, no cases of COVID-19 had been identified by doctors on board before docking,” NSW Health said

 

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/health-safety/coronavirus-australia-ruby-princess-passenger-70-dies-from-covid19/news-story/a289cf1872d31d7b8c1d1146035749a5

 

That said, one pax was evacuated off the vessel to the hospital. She died March 23^rd. In addition, two pax reported to a Sydney hospital after disembarkation. They were infected. As was one crew member. By March 24, 133 Aussie pax were infected. That's 8% of the Aussie pax.

 

Looks like NSW Health made a mistake in lowering the risk assessment for the disembarkation on the 19^th. But, clearly many pax were ill and one was dying. Hard to believe that the MO did not highlight the possibility of COVID19 to the captain.

 

8% of pax were infected, and they were infected during the journey. Not at the party on the last night. How do you conceal that from the ship's officers? Meanwhile, NSW Health is shifting the blame to Canberra...

 

“According to the protocol, “provided there are no concerns about the COVID-19 risk profile of a ship or suspected COVID-19 cases reported” a ship may be allowed to continue the voyage while samples are being tested.”

 

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/coronavirus/how-the-ruby-princess-possibly-became-the-biggest-single-contributor-to-covid-19-in-australia/ar-BB11yhdO

I read the article in The Guardian that said the NT couple had been on the previous Ruby Princess cruise (24th Feb to 8th March) but that is incorrect. There were no 'positive' virus results from passengers on that previous Ruby Princess cruise. The couple referred to boarded Ruby Princess on 8th March - the cruise that resulted in many infections. Here is a quote:

 

A TERRITORY couple who disembarked from the Ruby Princess cruise ship in Sydney and flew to Darwin tested positive to coronavirus (COVID-19) on Saturday.

This brings the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus COVID-19 in the NT to five in total.

The couple in their 50s flew from Sydney on flight JQ672 and arrived in Darwin at 11.30pm on March 19.

A family member picked them up and took them home where they remained in isolation. They began feeling unwell and contacted the pandemic clinic before returning positive results to the virus on Saturday.

Edited March 27, 2020 by Aus Traveller

[Aus Traveller]

19 minutes ago, teamflames said:

Call me a conspiracy theorist but the more I think about it, I think no authority wanted to take responsibility for the quarantine of 3k people and decided the political fallout was easier

They didn't have to quarantine 3,000 people, just hold them on the ship until the tests were completed. That was the procedure in Melbourne on the same day.

 

If the NSW Health authorities had waited until the tests were back, they would have had to conduct more through testing of the other passengers.

[HappyInVan]

18 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

I read the article in The Guardian that said the NT couple had been on the previous Ruby Princess cruise (24th Feb to 8th March) but that is incorrect. There were no 'positive' virus results from passengers on that previous Ruby Princess cruise. The couple referred to boarded Ruby Princess on 8th March - the cruise that resulted in many infections. Here is a quote:

 

 

 

Right! Our information is based on news reports and sound bites. Need an inquiry to establish what was actually said between NSW Health and the vessel. Was Princess Australia an intermediary?

 

“On Tuesday 24, the department said in a public statement that “no cases of Covid-19 had been identified by doctors on board before docking”

 

“A spokesman for Princess Cruises told Guardian Australia that “our onboard medical team was rigorous in its treatment of some guests who reported flu-like symptoms, and these guests were isolated.

 

“The ship reported these cases to NSW Health, which in turn requested swabs to be provided following the ship’s arrival in Sydney, some of which subsequently tested positive for Covid-19.”

 

As Princess has admitted that they identified and isolated sick pax, the question arises as to whether the Captain acted properly in disembarking his pax and crew.

 

What did the MO tell him? Did he have the greater responsibility to protect the population on land?

 

 

[dog]

Thanks for the posts about the Ruby. I have not seen much in our media here in Canada about this ship

[Pushka]

25 minutes ago, dog said:

Thanks for the posts about the Ruby. I have not seen much in our media here in Canada about this ship

20% of our Covid infections in South Australia have come from Ruby and we still have another 7 days to go of the 14 day incubation period. It's been a massive fail. Two deaths so far. 

[BRANDEE]

10 hours ago, teamflames said:

I remember Akaroa in NZ wouldn’t let them disembark because of concerns Covid19 was onboard 

We were allowed to disembark in Akaroa..we disembarked in all ports on itinerary until Princess had the ship return.

[Roberto256]

16 hours ago, NSWP said:

I read the crew have moved into pax cabins including balcony cabins, there was a lucky draw for the mini suites I do believe.  'Come Back New' guys, you crew members deserve to.

 

I am really distressed by this situation, as each time princess has attempted to quarantine people onboard,

it has failed, with huge numbers of cases resulting.

 

I hope they can move everyone to a quarantine facility on land somewhere, which would offer much better protection

for everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 27, 2020 by Roberto256

[Taseko]

I hope the trays are not left on the floor to be picked up and brought into the cabin. At the very least food could be picked up off the tray and brought in, leaving the potentially contaminated tray on the carpet outside.  

[icat2000]

19 hours ago, HappyInVan said:

 

That's the legal defense that Stuart and Princess will be using. "We're just following the rules." "We have no responsibility beyond that." "Someone else is in charge." "We're really concerned about the health of crew and pax." "Really!"

 

 

Well good luck to them. And when all this passes and cruising starts up again NSW Government might remember such and other not to take bookings in Sydney ports  . . . cuts both ways. 

[HappyInVan]

BTW, it's not clear to me. Why did the Ruby depart Sydney on the 19th? It is based in Sydney and it had no passengers.

 

Why is it circling in international waters? Such the vessel be closer to Sydney for logistical and medical support?

[Aus Traveller]

50 minutes ago, HappyInVan said:

BTW, it's not clear to me. Why did the Ruby depart Sydney on the 19th? It is based in Sydney and it had no passengers.

 

Why is it circling in international waters? Such the vessel be closer to Sydney for logistical and medical support?

It costs a lot to leave a ship docked. The Ruby and many other cruise ships are off-shore. If and when they need supplies or medical support they can either sail to a port, or rendezvous with a boat carrying supplies or additional personnel.

[Roberto256]

3 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

It costs a lot to leave a ship docked. The Ruby and many other cruise ships are off-shore. If and when they need supplies or medical support they can either sail to a port, or rendezvous with a boat carrying supplies or additional personnel.

 

A tug brought food supplies to Ruby, one or two days ago.

 

With the time change, tomorrow is not always a day away...

[Roberto256]

I guess this has dropped off the front page...

 

But, three crew from Ruby were medically evacuated, all with covid-19, one in serious condition.

 

https://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/sick-crew-evacuated-from-nsw-cruise-ship/3984699/

 

It doesn't seem like princess learned from diamond, and are about to repeat the same thing with Ruby.

Although, this time, crew only...

 

If the above is not a fair news source for australia, I mean no disrespect, and would be

happy to read any other news stories.