[ad_1]
A cruise ship with as many as 800 Covid-infected passengers on board is set to dock in Sydney on Saturday morning.
The Majestic Princess will arrive in Sydney Harbour at about 6am, carrying 4,600 crew and guests.
Those on board who’ve been struck down with the virus are isolating in their rooms while crew members have been urged to wear PPE gear, Nine News reported.
Passengers who aren’t infected will wear face masks as they disembark the vessel.
A Majestic Princess cruise ship with as many as 800 Covid-infected passengers on board is set to dock in Sydney on Saturday morning
Princess Cruises confirmed some guests had tested positive, with private transport arranged to take them into isolation at a location of their choice after they disembark.
‘These guests are mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic and are isolating in their staterooms,’ the company said in a statement.
‘All unimpacted guests are wearing masks and this will continue when they disembark in Sydney on 12 November.
‘We have been proactively preparing for and managing incidences of COVID-19 and continue to work closely with NSW Health including adhering to their guidelines.’
Rules for cruise ships on the eastern seaboard state that those who test positive on board ‘must isolate for five full days from the date of their positive test result’.
The Majestic Princess had just embarked on a 12-day cruise to New Zealand.
It comes after NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant urged Australians to make sure they were up to date with their vaccinations.
She said there was a ‘fourth wave’ of Covid infections sweeping across the country, but infections were set to peak and then drop in a matter of weeks.
A ‘fourth wave’ of Covid infections has been seen in Australia but residents have been urged not to panic
‘The [new Covid] wave is taking off with some trajectory, it will be quite a steep wave and hopefully the decline will be equally as steep,’ Dr Chant told the ABC.
‘That’s why it’s important the community takes these protective measures now and I can’t stress the urgency – if you’re going to get vaccinated do it immediately.’
Ms Chant added that she expects the fourth Covid wave to drop off before December 25.
‘The wave may well peak before Christmas and we may be on the decline,’ she said.
Cases have risen in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, with the Sunshine State recommending masks be worn in some indoor settings.
The state also recommended residents to take a test every two days if they are living with someone who has tested positive to Covid.
The ABC’s chief health correspondent, Dr Norman Swan, said Australia had moved ‘into the next wave’ and gave a grim warning of further deaths.
Health officials and experts have said most Australians should get on with their lives despite the arrival of a fourth Covid wave
‘[Cases are] going up, Victoria and NSW 20 per cent in the last week, South Australia 27 per cent, Tasmania 40 per cent,’ he told RN Breakfast on Friday.
‘It’s really hard to tell the death statistics at the moment, sadly they will follow.’
But Australia’s former deputy chief medical officer Dr Nick Coatsworth had earlier declined to talk about the latest wave, saying it is time to ‘move on’ from the pandemic.
Deakin University epidemiology chair Catherine Bennett also weighed in on the influx in cases and said ‘being fearful isn’t the answer’.
‘Get on and do your normal things,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Panic never helps is my view. Being aware of risk changing and responding to that, and managing it, is the best thing you can do.’
Professor Bennett acknowledged residents should be mindful of the latest wave.
‘We are seeing numbers, particularly hospitalisations, push up across country,’ she said.
‘We know from data from overseas, adding Covid variants into the mix, pushes up transmission rates. What it means for individuals is that their exposure risk goes up.’
Professor Bennett said it was important residents listened to the advice from health professionals, received their booster, but not to make drastic changes to their lives.
[ad_2]
Source link
