Top headline: News Star
Photo: Celebrity Cruises
Bottom headline: Loyalty Lobby
After a Princess ship offloaded 800 Cov.-positive passengers in mid-November this Celebrity cruise is the most significant case to date as far as the arrival of virus-laden tourists is concerned.
Following a spike in passengers reporting that they were feeling unwell, Celebrity (just like Princess previously) began to mass-test passengers throughout the voyage.
12/9/2022 update starts here
Top headline: News Star
Photo: Celebrity Cruises
Bottom headline: 9News
NSW Health has classed the ship as "tier two" infection site which means there are between 30 and 99 infections per 1000 passengers.
This means that while the ship's staffing and resources have been affected by the cases onboard, it can maintain "critical services".
9News understands current positive cases on the ship sit at around 4 per cent., or around 100 cases.
The ship has just completed a trip to New Zealand and has moored at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay.
It comes as hospitalisations for COVID-19 continue to rise around the country.
12/2/2022 update starts here
Top headline: News Star
Bottom screenshot: USA Today
A Princess Cruises ship with elevated COVID-19 cases on board skipped a planned stop in Australia this week, the cruise line said.
Princess canceled the Grand Princess ship's stop in Newcastle following advice from health officials in New South Wales because of uncertainty about how to move forward with activities ashore, a spokesperson told USA TODAY in an email.
11/28/2022 update starts here
Top headline: News Star
Bottom headline and photo: Cruise Law News
A number of news outlets in Australia are reporting that the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship is experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak. The country of Indonesia took the extraordinary step of blocking the Cunard ship from calling at port in Bali.
Neither the cruise operator (Cunard) nor ship owner (Carnival Corporation) would disclose the number of infected passengers or crew members. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Cunard admitted “there was an ‘elevated level of transmission’ on board, but declined to provide case numbers.” [emphasis added]
The Sydney Morning Herald states that authorities in Indonesian requested the Queen Elizabeth to abandon the Balinese leg of its 17-day tour, following a COVID-19 outbreak on board.
11/27/2022 update starts here
Top headline: News Star
Photo: Wikipedia
Bottom headline: 9News
A spokesperson for Cunard, the owners of the ship, said there was an elevated level of transmission on board, but did not confirm case numbers to 9News.com.au.
"Unfortunately, due to the ongoing rise in community transmission across Australia and this being reflected on various cruise lines, we're unable to visit Indonesia at this time," the spokesperson said.
"This has followed ongoing conversations with the respective authorities in Bali, and we understand and respect the current circumstances we're operating in.
"In light of this, we will sail into Fremantle in the coming days as planned."
The spokesperson said passengers and crew must adhere to strict COVID-19 protocols.
11/23/2022 update starts here
Top headline: News Star
Photo: news.com.au
Bottom headline: NBC Montana
In addition to its new masking requirements, the stricter COVID measures also mean 100% of Carnival crew members, and 95% of passengers over 12, must be fully vaccinated,
11/19/2022 update starts here
Top headline: News Star
Photo: news.com.au
Bottom headline: USA Today
The change applies to "all Carnival Corporation brand ships operating in Australia and the region as an additional safeguard in light of the current rate of covid-19 in the general community," Carnival Australia said in an emailed statement Friday. That includes lines such as Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Holland America Line.
Passengers and crew members have to wear masks at all times inside unless they are eating or drinking. They must also wear masks outside when they cannot socially distance and "when on company transfers (tenders and buses),"
Carnival Australia said. Guests must also wear masks when embarking and disembarking.
11/18/2022 update starts here
Top headline: News Star
Photo: news.com.au
Bottom headline: Cruise Law News
Meanwhile: Travel Daily, 11/11/2022
From Cruise Law News:
With Australia recently opening up for cruises, there has been a spate of COVID19 outbreaks on cruises calling on Australian ports:\
Majestic Princess – 800 infected guests (Sydney);
Quantum of the Seas – 400 infected guests (heading toward Queensland)
Coral Princess – 290 infected guests and crew (Fremantle);
Ovation of the Seas – 129 infected guests and 2 crew member (New Zealand)
Majestic Princess – 116 infected guests (Tahiti).
On just three Princess cruise ships (Grand Princess, Majestic Princess and Coral Princess), there have been a total of over 1,400 passengers infected with COVID-19. Although a Princess Cruise spokesperson said that the COVID-positive cases onboard are either “asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic,” the truth of the matter is that “in a well-rehearsed routine, ambulances ferried the sickest to hospitals and the others were told to go home and isolate.” (see Newshub “COVID-19: Ambulances meet cruise ship in Sydney after hundreds of passengers get infected.”
11/17/2022 update starts here
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Photo: news.com.au
Bottom headline: 3AW
Meanwhile: Travel Daily, 11/11/2022
The Grand Princess, carrying more than 2000 passengers docked on Thursday morning, with some guests who have have tested positive to COVID allowed to disembark to allow them travel to their residence of choice to continue isolation.
11/14/2022 update starts here
Sources listed top to bottom:
From CNN:
The Majestic Princess cruise ship was about halfway through a 12-day voyage when an outbreak of cases was noticed, Carnival Australia president Marguerite Fitzgerald told reporters in a media briefing on Saturday.
The ship had 4,600 passengers and crew on board at the time, according to CNN affiliate Nine News.
After mass testing 3,300 passengers, around 800 tested positive for Covid-19, as did a small number of crew, Fitzgerald said.
11/13/2022 update starts here
The previous report (see below) noted that there were "dozens of positive cases on board."
How about more than 66 dozen cases?
11/11/2022 update starts here
Top headline: News Star
Middle headline and photo: news.com.au
Bottom headline: Travel Daily, 11/11/2022
“Reflective of the increase in community transmission, we too have seen more guests test positive for Covid-19 on the current voyage of Majestic Princess,” a Princess Cruises spokesperson said in a statement.
“These guests are mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic and are isolating in their staterooms. All unimpacted guests are wearing masks and this will continue when they disembark in Sydney on 12 November.”
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