Ruby Princess

[Aus Traveller]

17 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

My husband was checking his medical chart on line to make sure the date of his first covid vaccine was put on and came across a doctor notation from back in March.  Diagnose positive covid: origin Australia.  

 

Actually it was that "double transplant" lady who got sick on day three/four and never went to the doctor and never isolated in her cabin.  But she will sue Princess for her pain and suffering because it was their fault.  

Your husband contracted COVID on the Ruby, but the question is where did it originate. We did not have the virus in the community here at that time.

 

I doubt that it originated among the crew members. They had been on the ship for some time and if one of them had COVID, it would have been cases on the previous cruise and it would have been widespread through the crew, rather than just a handful having it at the end of your cruise when 700+ pax had it.

[Aus Traveller]

4 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Well it would be origin Australia as you caught it on Ruby but Australia had no cases in the community at that time so the double-transplant lady probably also caught it onboard, maybe on the first day. 

 

Were they actually doing genome tracing that early on? 

The double-transplant lady could have caught the virus as soon as she boarded. We don't know whether the health authorities were doing genome tracing that early, but it was mentioned on a Sixty Minutes show shortly after the Ruby, but not in relation to the Ruby Princess outbreak. Even if the genome tests were not being performed in the first half of March, there would have been samples that could have been tested very soon after. I think it is likely they were tested, but the result has not been released because it does not fit the Myth of the Sneezing Waiter. All the genome testing would reveal is whether it was the strain that was prevalent in USA, US or Asia.

[BRANDEE]

3 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Well it would be origin Australia as you caught it on Ruby but Australia had no cases in the community at that time so the double-transplant lady probably also caught it onboard, maybe on the first day. 

 

Were they actually doing genome tracing that early on? 

I don't think there was any major tracing going on that early, but before I left the USA I did hear that in Washington (the state) they diagnosed a Chinese case of covid.  NY had not reported anything yet. We left Feb 27.  I was surprised to see so many Asian visitors in Sydney when we were there, since we were told the border was closed to them, but again they could have come from other than China, Hong Kong, Japan area.  I did not understand which language they were speaking.

[OzKiwiJJ]

7 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

I don't think there was any major tracing going on that early, but before I left the USA I did hear that in Washington (the state) they diagnosed a Chinese case of covid.  NY had not reported anything yet. We left Feb 27.  I was surprised to see so many Asian visitors in Sydney when we were there, since we were told the border was closed to them, but again they could have come from other than China, Hong Kong, Japan area.  I did not understand which language they were speaking.

Some parts of Sydney have a high local Asian population as well, especially in the southern part of the inner city, between Central Station and Town Hall Station, where there are lots of apartment blocks.

[BRANDEE]

12 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

The double-transplant lady could have caught the virus as soon as she boarded. We don't know whether the health authorities were doing genome tracing that early, but it was mentioned on a Sixty Minutes show shortly after the Ruby, but not in relation to the Ruby Princess outbreak. Even if the genome tests were not being performed in the first half of March, there would have been samples that could have been tested very soon after. I think it is likely they were tested, but the result has not been released because it does not fit the Myth of the Sneezing Waiter. All the genome testing would reveal is whether it was the strain that was prevalent in USA, US or Asia.

Actually, your health authorities were doing nothing at that time..not even taking temperatures at the airport or cruise terminal.  Since no foreign traveller was swabbed getting off the ship, how could they trace anything.  And because no foreign travellers were tested any findings are inconclusive and not factual.  They will never know how many sick passengers got on the Ruby on March 8th and they will never know how many got off sick.  That data can never be used in any litigation, so that is probably why it has disappeared.  

[BRANDEE]

3 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Some parts of Sydney have a high local Asian population as well, especially in the southern part of the inner city, between Central Station and Town Hall Station, where there are lots of apartment blocks.

Yes, we passed Chinatown when on the tour bus.  Guess every town has a Chinatown. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

2 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

Actually, your health authorities were doing nothing at that time..not even taking temperatures at the airport or cruise terminal.  Since no foreign traveller was swabbed getting off the ship, how could they trace anything.  And because no foreign travellers were tested any findings are inconclusive and not factual.  They will never know how many sick passengers got on the Ruby on March 8th and they will never know how many got off sick.  That data can never be used in any litigation, so that is probably why it has disappeared.  

Exactly, the international borders were still open and Border Force and NSW Health were passing the buck back and forth as to who shold do temp testing for arrivals. "Not our problem"! Grrrrr!

[OzKiwiJJ]

2 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

Yes, we passed Chinatown when on the tour bus.  Guess every town has a Chinatown. 

Actually Chinatown is only a small part of it now. That really only encompassed a couple of blocks down by Central. 

[Aus Traveller]

22 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

I don't think there was any major tracing going on that early, but before I left the USA I did hear that in Washington (the state) they diagnosed a Chinese case of covid.  NY had not reported anything yet. We left Feb 27.  I was surprised to see so many Asian visitors in Sydney when we were there, since we were told the border was closed to them, but again they could have come from other than China, Hong Kong, Japan area.  I did not understand which language they were speaking.

Most of the Asians you saw could have been Australian residents.

[BRANDEE]

1 minute ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Exactly, the international borders were still open and Border Force and NSW Health were passing the buck back and forth as to who shold do temp testing for arrivals. "Not our problem"! Grrrrr!

When we got off the plane in Sydney, I had a folder with all the information I was told was necessary to get into your country.  I was told not to hid anything..not even an open bag of m&m's.  So I had a prescription note for every drug.  I had all over the counter drugs in a clear plastic ziplock bag.  We took no snacks with us.  And we were told our temperature would be taken. We had our visas and passports.   Nothing..absolutely nothing was asked.  We just got off the plane and wham.  When we got into the taxi, I was still holding my folder.  Of course, when we left, it wasn't any better...bam..get out!  I was really uspst..because I was expecting some sense of security from the "strictest" immigration and health organization.

[Aus Traveller]

9 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

Actually, your health authorities were doing nothing at that time..not even taking temperatures at the airport or cruise terminal.  Since no foreign traveller was swabbed getting off the ship, how could they trace anything.  And because no foreign travellers were tested any findings are inconclusive and not factual.  They will never know how many sick passengers got on the Ruby on March 8th and they will never know how many got off sick.  That data can never be used in any litigation, so that is probably why it has disappeared.  

The first people off the Ruby to be tested were the two passengers who left the dock in ambulances when the ship arrived back into Sydney. Others tested positive after that and it was said that there infections originated on the Ruby. Testing was carried out.

 

No-one knows how many passengers boarding the ship had mild COVID symptoms but didn't declare it  on their declaration form, or how many people had the virus but weren't yet showing COVID symptoms.  

 

At the time you arrived in Australia, USA and UK had not been identified as hot spots for COVID. If passengers transited through Singapore they were not permitted to board the ship. Arrivals from Hong Kong and China had been banned since (from memory) mid January.

[Aus Traveller]

3 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

When we got off the plane in Sydney, I had a folder with all the information I was told was necessary to get into your country.  I was told not to hid anything..not even an open bag of m&m's.  So I had a prescription note for every drug.  I had all over the counter drugs in a clear plastic ziplock bag.  We took no snacks with us.  And we were told our temperature would be taken. We had our visas and passports.   Nothing..absolutely nothing was asked.  We just got off the plane and wham.  When we got into the taxi, I was still holding my folder.  Of course, when we left, it wasn't any better...bam..get out!  I was really uspst..because I was expecting some sense of security from the "strictest" immigration and health organization.

We disembarked from the Sea Princess on 8th March after a cruise to NZ. We had considered the risk of COVID before we went, but felt safe because the virus wasn't circulating in the community in either country. We did not consider the number of international tourists (USA and UK) on board, but luckily for us, there was no COVID on our cruise.

 

We were warned that we would face Health Department checks and delays when we disembarked in Brisbane, but there were no more checks than usual. We just handed over our Customs declaration forms as we usually do and left the terminal.

[SinbadThePorter]

7 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

I was expecting some sense of security from the "strictest" immigration and health organization

 

You needed to look more guilty. Next time work up a sweat before you get to customs, look nervously around and shuffle your feet.

 

I guarantee you'll get attention. 😇

[BRANDEE]

33 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

We disembarked from the Sea Princess on 8th March after a cruise to NZ. We had considered the risk of COVID before we went, but felt safe because the virus wasn't circulating in the community in either country. We did not consider the number of international tourists (USA and UK) on board, but luckily for us, there was no COVID on our cruise.

 

We were warned that we would face Health Department checks and delays when we disembarked in Brisbane, but there were no more checks than usual. We just handed over our Customs declaration forms as we usually do and left the terminal.

Since Covid was not circulating in the US or UK when you originally boarded your cruise, why would you be concerned.  I was aware, but not concerned because not only wasn't it in NY area (only a case in Washington) but not in Australia or NZ or Fiji. And your borders were closed to areas that were "hot".   We all felt safe and it spread like wildfire.  

[BRANDEE]

46 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

You needed to look more guilty. Next time work up a sweat before you get to customs, look nervously around and shuffle your feet.

 

I guarantee you'll get attention. 😇

I wish I kept some of the literature I got regarding the Australian immigration officers and the NSW Health Authorities from our travel agent. It made it sound as though a hesitant response or wrong answer would bar us from entering the country. And the paperwork we were told to take.  I was told to not only declare my prescription meds but the tylenol in my bag.

It actually did say..If you are eating m&m's and do not finish the bag, do not take the open bag off the plane..you will be violating an agricultural law.

 

I could have brought a kilo of cocaine with me 😏

Edited February 13, 2021 by BRANDEE

[Aus Traveller]

1 minute ago, BRANDEE said:

Since Covid was not circulating in the US or UK when you originally boarded your cruise, why would you be concerned.  I was aware, but not concerned because not only wasn't it in NY area (only a case in Washington) but not in Australia or NZ or Fiji. And your borders were closed to areas that were "hot".   We all felt safe and it spread like wildfire.  

Some information on the history of the spread of COVID.

 

On 30 January 2020, with 7,818 confirmed cases across 19 countries, the WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC),and then a pandemic on 11 March 2020 as Italy, Iran, South Korea, and Japan reported increasing numbers of cases.

On 31 January 2020, Italy had its first confirmed cases, two tourists from China. As of 13 March 2020, the WHO considered Europe the active centre of the pandemic. On 19 March 2020, Italy overtook China as the country with the most reported deaths. By 26 March, the United States had overtaken China and Italy with the highest number of confirmed cases in the world.Research on coronavirus genomes indicates the majority of COVID-19 cases in New York came from European travellers, rather than directly from China or any other Asian country.Retesting of prior samples found a person in France who had the virus on 27 December 2019 and a person in the United States who died from the disease on 6 February 2020.

 

Many people believe that the previous administration in USA mis-managed the COVID pandemic. It seems that there were more cases earlier than Mr T wanted to admit.

[BRANDEE]

1 minute ago, Aus Traveller said:

Some information on the history of the spread of COVID.

 

On 30 January 2020, with 7,818 confirmed cases across 19 countries, the WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC),and then a pandemic on 11 March 2020 as Italy, Iran, South Korea, and Japan reported increasing numbers of cases.

On 31 January 2020, Italy had its first confirmed cases, two tourists from China. As of 13 March 2020, the WHO considered Europe the active centre of the pandemic. On 19 March 2020, Italy overtook China as the country with the most reported deaths. By 26 March, the United States had overtaken China and Italy with the highest number of confirmed cases in the world.Research on coronavirus genomes indicates the majority of COVID-19 cases in New York came from European travellers, rather than directly from China or any other Asian country.Retesting of prior samples found a person in France who had the virus on 27 December 2019 and a person in the United States who died from the disease on 6 February 2020.

 

Many people believe that the previous administration in USA mis-managed the COVID pandemic. It seems that there were more cases earlier than Mr T wanted to admit.

Mr. t was told how bad and down played it.  That is a definite.

[Aus Traveller]

3 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

I wish I kept some of the literature I got regarding the Australian immigration officers and the NSW Health Authorities from our travel agent. It made it sound as though a hesitant response or wrong answer would bar us from entering the country. And the paperwork we were told to take.  

It actually did say..If you are eating m&m's and do not finish the bag, do not take the open bag off the plane..you will be violating an agricultural law.

 

I could have brought a kilo of cocaine with me 😏

The advice about M&Ms is crazy. You can bring as much chocolate and sweets as you like into the country. Open packets don't make any difference. The main restrictions here relate to meat products and honey. It is surprising how much food and similar items can be brought legally into the country. However, the advice is to declare it. We once had a whole lot of foodstuffs (the reason is irrelevant). I just wrote a list of 12 or more items with, beside each item, where I got it. The Quarantine Officer just looked down the list and said "All OK".

 

I have heard Cruise Directors stating emphatically that pax cannot take wooden items into Australia. Totally wrong. Wooden items will be inspected to see if there are borers in the timber.

[Aus Traveller]

There is an interesting article by TIME Magazine from July 2020 on what they call the failed response to COVID by UK and USA. The article claims that these countries were the best-prepared in the world, but political factors caused them to fail in their response to the pandemic.

 

https://time.com › us-uk-failed-coronavirus-response

 

One point in the article, is that in both UK and USA, the health authorities did not start contact tracing early. They let the virus have a six week head start.

Edited February 13, 2021 by Aus Traveller

[BRANDEE]

1 minute ago, Aus Traveller said:

The advice about M&Ms is crazy. You can bring as much chocolate and sweets as you like into the country. Open packets don't make any difference. The main restrictions here relate to meat products and honey. It is surprising how much food and similar items can be brought legally into the country. However, the advice is to declare it. We once had a whole lot of foodstuffs (the reason is irrelevant). I just wrote a list of 12 or more items with, beside each item, where I got it. The Quarantine Officer just looked down the list and said "All OK".

 

I have heard Cruise Directors stating emphatically that pax cannot take wooden items into Australia. Totally wrong. Wooden items will be inspected to see if there are borers in the timber.

I had my husband down his half eaten bag of M&M's before we got off the plane..lol  It really said that.  We go to Aruba every October and take some food items with us and never have a problem.  I found this "open candy bag " an unusual rule, but I am a rule follower so I almost panicked when I realized I had a half eaten bag in my carry on when we got off.  

[Aus Traveller]

1 minute ago, BRANDEE said:

I had my husband down his half eaten bag of M&M's before we got off the plane..lol  It really said that.  We go to Aruba every October and take some food items with us and never have a problem.  I found this "open candy bag " an unusual rule, but I am a rule follower so I almost panicked when I realized I had a half eaten bag in my carry on when we got off.  

A few decades ago I was worried when I arrived back into Australia with a box of chocolate covered macadamia nuts. No problem. After that I check what is allowed and what isn't.

[BRANDEE]

3 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

A few decades ago I was worried when I arrived back into Australia with a box of chocolate covered macadamia nuts. No problem. After that I check what is allowed and what isn't.

Speaking of chocolate..I made home made chocolate hearts for my grandchildren for Valentine's Day.  I have to get to bed so I can get up bright and early to deliver them before the next snow storm arrives. Happy Valentine's Day and stay safe my friends!

[MicCanberra]

I think the best thing is know when travelling into a country is to know what is allowed and what isn't and fill out the forms honestly. You may not get pulled over to check by the customs officers but if you do, and it is wrong, it may cost you more than just money.

[NSWP]

2 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

Your husband contracted COVID on the Ruby, but the question is where did it originate. We did not have the virus in the community here at that time.

 

I doubt that it originated among the crew members. They had been on the ship for some time and if one of them had COVID, it would have been cases on the previous cruise and it would have been widespread through the crew, rather than just a handful having it at the end of your cruise when 700+ pax had it.

Remember a lot of Americans were on Ruby. It is written.

[NSWP]

5 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

Speaking of chocolate..I made home made chocolate hearts for my grandchildren for Valentine's Day.  I have to get to bed so I can get up bright and early to deliver them before the next snow storm arrives. Happy Valentine's Day and stay safe my friends!

But Valentines day here is for lovers, not for  kids! What is going on Brandee!

Edited February 13, 2021 by NSWP