Cruise turns again to Australia, abandons Bali leg after coronavirus outbreak
Indonesian authorities have requested that an Australian cruise ship carrying about 2100 passengers and crew abandon the Balinese leg of its 17-day tour, following a COVID-19 outbreak on board.
The Queen Elizabeth left Sydney on November 15, stopping at Airlie Seashore, Cairns, Port Douglas and Darwin, however will lower quick the ultimate week of its tour and head straight to Fremantle.
The Queen Elizabeth will lower quick its 17-day tour because of a COVID outbreak.Credit score:Steve Dunlop
A spokeswoman for Cunard, proprietor of the ship, confirmed there was “an elevated stage of transmission” on board, however declined to offer case numbers.
“Sadly, because of the ongoing rise in neighborhood transmission throughout Australia and this being mirrored on varied cruise traces, we’re unable to go to Indonesia right now,” she mentioned.
“This has adopted ongoing conversations with the respective authorities in Bali, and we perceive and respect the present circumstances we’re working in. In mild of this, we’ll sail into Fremantle within the coming days as deliberate.”
The abandonment of the ship’s Bali tour follows the berthing of the Majestic Princess in Sydney earlier this month, carrying 800 COVID-positive passengers and crew. The optimistic instances, who had been all both mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic, in keeping with Carnival cruises, had been in a position to disembark by way of a separate door and suggested to not use public transport.
That ship was greater than double the scale of the Queen Elizabeth.
The Queen Elizabeth requires a 95 per cent vaccination price amongst passengers over the age of 12, and solely individuals with medical exemptions are in a position to be accommodated throughout the 5 per cent. All passengers have to return a unfavourable COVID check earlier than boarding and masks are required indoors.
Its subsequent tour is scheduled to start on December 2, when it’ll return to Sydney by way of Esperance, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Melbourne and Burnie.
The WA Division of Well being was contacted for remark.
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