Guernsey Press

Police question crew members of ship linked to Australia’s Covid-19 outbreak

The Ruby Princess has become the largest source of coronavirus infections in the country.

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Police wearing protective gear boarded a cruise ship to seize evidence and question crew members of the vessel linked to hundreds of Covid-19 infections and 15 deaths across Australia.

About 2,700 passengers disembarked from the ship on March 19 in Sydney and it has since become the largest source of coronavirus infections in Australia.

More than 600 cases of Covid-19 and 15 deaths are linked the to the ship, the Ruby Princess.

New South Wales police, which boarded the ship on Wednesday night at Port Kembla, south of Sydney, said it was expected to remain in port for 10 days with its 1,040 crew undergoing medical assessments.

About 200 crew have shown symptoms of Covid-19, while 18 have tested positive for the virus that causes it.

The workers remaining on the ship are from 50 countries.

Virus Outbreak Australia
The Ruby Princess cruise ship (Nathan Patterson/AP)

He said the captain had been extremely helpful.

“I can confirm there’s still over 1,000 crew members on the ship,” he said, adding that three-quarters of them want to remain on the ship.

“They feel safe on the ship and I think that’s a good outcome.”

On Thursday, Australia recorded its lowest increase in coronavirus cases in more than three weeks.

VIrus Outb reak Australia
Investigators in protective gear (Nathan Patterson/AP)

The peak was on March 28, when 457 cases were recorded.

There have been a total of just over 6,000 and 51 deaths in Australia from the virus.

Seeking to limit the impact on the economy, politicians passed a wage subsidy programme late on Wednesday worth 130 billion Australian dollars.

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