Cases of Covid and gastroenteritis have broken out on the Grand Princess as it arrived in Adelaide on Monday morning.
But the ship’s doctor has declared the Covid outbreak over on the Grand Princess. However there is still a concern in the broader community as cases are on the rise.
The ship was on day two of a four-day round trip from Melbourne, according to a statement from the ship’s operator, Princess Cruises.
“On the previous voyage (a 14-days round trip cruise from Melbourne to Queensland) a number of people reported to the Medical Centre with symptoms of respiratory illness and acute gastrointestinal illness,” it said.
“While most guests were unaffected by illness on that voyage, we proactively launched a comprehensive disinfection program, developed in coordination with international health authorities to prevent further spread.”
“In an abundance of caution, there will be another disinfection program carried out on board the ship in Adelaide today before Grand Princess returns to Melbourne on Wednesday 15 November.”
The cruise operator said there is no current “dual outbreak” of illness on the ship.
“While we do not provide numbers of unwell guests we can say that the number of guests with symptoms are in the single digits,” it said.
“Some guests have disembarked in Adelaide today after completing their holiday.”
The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, said those on board needing urgent care would be transported to hospital facilities in a way that was safe.
“It’s been something we’ve been monitoring pretty closely over the last 48 hours,” Malinauskas told Nine’s Today show on Monday.
“The good news is reports that we’ve got from the cruise operators that the number of cases presenting has actually dramatically decreased over the course of the last couple of days.”
