Cruise ship with 800 Covid cases docks in Sydney

A vacation cruise vessel carrying astir 800 passengers with Covid-19 has docked successful Sydney, Australia.

The Majestic Princess cruise vessel arrived astatine Circular Quay, having sailed from New Zealand.

About 4,600 passengers and unit were aboard the vessel erstwhile it docked - meaning astir 1 successful 5 had Covid.

Marguerite Fitzgerald, the president of cruise relation Carnival Australia, said a ample fig of cases started to beryllium detected astir halfway done the 12-day voyage.

All cases were either asymptomatic oregon mildly symptomatic, she said.

Staff would beryllium assisting each guests who person tested affirmative "with accessing backstage transport and accommodation to implicit their isolation period", she said. The vessel volition soon depart for Melbourne.

Asked astir comparisons betwixt the Majestic Princess and the Ruby Princess - which besides belongs to the aforesaid relation - Ms Fitzgerald said: "Since then, we arsenic a assemblage person learnt a lot, a batch much astir Covid."

The outbreak comes arsenic Covid cases emergence crossed Australia.

In New South Wales, 19,800 caller cases were detected successful the 7 days to Friday.