A cruise ship with more than 2.000 guests expected in Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, records an outbreak of the new coronavirus.
More than 100 people on the ship, the Coral Princess, have been confirmed to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, according to the ABC television network. It is expected to dock in New South Wales.
According to the state health services, the vast majority of cases are crew members. Although some passengers have been found to be carriers of the virus, they are believed to have been infected before boarding. All those diagnosed as infected have been placed in isolation and are being treated by the doctors on board.
The authorities announced that no crew members of the ship will disembark in the state, and before passengers can disembark, they will have to take a rapid antigen test with a negative result.
The vessel is expected to pass the south coast of New South Wales, dock in Sydney for a day and then return to the Queensland capital, Brisbane.
Cruise ships resumed their voyages to Australia in April, after more than two years of being banned due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Before the pandemic, about 350 cruise ships visited Australia annually carrying more than 600.000 visitors. The sector generates €3,5 billion in revenue for the country, according to the International Cruise Line Association.
Australia has so far recorded almost 10.400 deaths due to it COVID-19 out of a total of 8,5 million SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Source: RES-EAP
