Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

Australia links coronavirus outbreak in remote south to Carnival Corp cruise ship

Published 04/29/2020, 08:05 PM
Updated 04/29/2020, 08:10 PM

By Colin Packham

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A coronavirus outbreak in Australia's remote southern island state of Tasmania likely originated from the Ruby Princess cruise ship, a government report published on Thursday concluded, as the national death toll rose to 91.

Australia - home to 25.7 million people - has confirmed about 6,700 cases of the novel coronavirus, significantly below figures reported in the United States and other hotspots, a result the government attributes to strict social distancing restrictions and widespread testing.

Nearly all of Australia's coronavirus fatalities have come in clusters, including one on Tasmania, the state with the country's highest death rate per capita from the virus.

Home to little more than 500,000 people, Tasmania has recorded 12 deaths from coronavirus, and all but two were on Thursday linked to the cruise ship.

The Ruby Princess - owned by a unit of Carnival (NYSE:CUK) Corp, the world’s largest cruise operator - is Australia's largest source of coronavirus infections. Some 2,700 passengers were allowed to leave the ship when it docked in Sydney on March 19, despite several passengers showing symptoms of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus.

Hundreds of passengers subsequently tested positive for the disease after disembarking and traveling home across the country, spreading the virus.

"Most likely the Ruby Princess is the root cause of our problems," Premier (NASDAQ:PINC) Peter Gutwein told reporters as he released a government report in the cluster across the state's north west.

Carnival Corp did not immediately respond to requests from Reuters for comment.

The outbreak quickly saw Australian lawmakers impose strict social distancing restrictions.

But with new infections growing at barely 1% a day, compared to 25% a month ago, several states are already beginning to ease restrictions.

In Australia's most populous state, New South Wales (NSW) - home to almost half of the national coronavirus cases - public spaces have been reopened including Sydney's famous Bondi Beach.

With NSW reporting just two new coronavirus cases on Thursday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian is under growing pressure to accelerate the easing of curbs.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO:  NSW Police personnel in personal protective equipment board the Ruby Princess during the Strike Force Bast raid of the cruise ship at Port Kembla

But she has urged locals to remain patient, highlighting an outbreak in an aged care facility in the west of Sydney where 12 people have died.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.