200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 aboard the Queen Elizabeth. Source: Brian Burnell Photography
The Queen Elizabeth cruise ship has had to abandon its original voyage from Sydney to Bali, docking in Fremantle due to a COVID-19 outbreak involving 200 confirmed cases.
The ship was originally set to depart from Sydney on November 15th, stopping in Darwin along the way to Bali, then to Perth on a 17-day cruise. However, the outbreak has forced the Queen Elizabeth to change its course.
A spokesperson for the ship’s operator, Cunard Line, has said “due to the ongoing rise in community transmission across Australia and this being reflected on various cruise lines, we’re unable to visit Indonesia at this time.” This decision was made in consultation with Indonesian authorities.
According to recent information provided to the Western Australian government, around 10 to 15 percent of the ship’s 2,081 passengers have tested positive for COVID-19. The ship is due to arrive in Fremantle, WA, on the 30th of November, and has also passed through Airlie Beach, Cairns, and Port Douglas over the past ten days.
There are currently 10,520 new cases of COVID-19 in WA – a 16 percent increase over the past week. After the Majestic Princess arrived in Sydney with 800 COVID cases earlier this month, health precautions for cruise ships have tightened.
A spokesperson for Cunard has stated that 95 percent of the ship’s passengers and crew were required to be vaccinated, the remaining 5 percent with medical exemptions.
A WA Health spokesperson has said that the ship’s operator is managing COVID cases on board and that the ship is set to arrive in Fremantle as planned, following strict COVID protocols including a 5-day isolation period for positive cases.
There have been no comments from the WA Health spokesperson or Cunard spokesperson about the condition of COVID positive patients, but the ship’s operator has said that around the clock medical care has been available on board.
