Around 800 passengers on a holiday cruise ship with Covid-19 have landed in Sydney, Australia.
After leaving New Zealand, the Majestic Princess cruise liner sailed into Circular Quay.
One in five of the 4,600 passengers and employees on board the ship when it docked had Covid.
The outbreak is reminiscent of the Covid outbreak on the Ruby Princess cruise liner in early 2020, which resulted in at least 900 positive tests and 28 fatalities.
About halfway through the 12-day cruise, according to Marguerite Fitzgerald, president of cruise line Carnival Australia, a significant number of cases began to be discovered.
According to her, all patients were either asymptomatic or hardly symptomatic.
Staff would be assisting all guests who have tested positive “with accessing private transport and accommodation to complete their isolation period”, she said. The ship will soon depart for Melbourne.
Asked about comparisons between the Majestic Princess and the Ruby Princess – which also belongs to the same operator – Ms Fitzgerald said: “Since then, we as a community have learnt a lot, a lot more about Covid.”
The outbreak comes as Covid cases rise across Australia.
In New South Wales, 19,800 new cases were detected in the seven days to Friday.
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