Plague Ship, Ruby Princess, sets off for parts unknown, sans passengers 🚢

Reuters –
Cruise ship linked to Australia’s biggest virus outbreak sets sail

“SYDNEY (Reuters) – A cruise ship linked to a third of Australia’s coronavirus deaths has left the country after a month docked in local waters, the authorities said on Friday . . . “

” . . . The Ruby Princess, owned by Carnival Corp, has become a flashpoint of public anger after being allowed to unload thousands of passengers in Sydney without health checks on March 19.

Hundreds of its passengers later tested positive to COVID-19, about 10% of the country’s roughly 6,600 infections, and a third of the country’s 77 coronavirus deaths have been traced to the ship.

Separate criminal, coronial and government investigations have been launched to find out how the ship’s operators were allowed to let coronavirus patients disembark.”

” . . . He [New South Wales police commissioner Mick Fuller ]did not say where the ship was headed.“

Cruise Ships Sailed On Despite The Coronavirus. Thousands Paid The Price

“As the coronavirus spread across the world in early 2020, millions of people found themselves in what is now understood to be one of the most dangerous places during a pandemic: a cruise ship.

Just how many passengers and crew got sick or died is impossible to know. No global health body or regulatory agency is known to be tracking those statistics. And the cruise industry — which downplayed the dangers to consumers and kept sending out ships despite outbreaks on board and warnings from public health officials — has largely stayed silent about the toll. . . “ (more)

After 3½ months at sea, last major cruise ship returns to a changed world

“(CNN) — A global scramble to bring cruise passengers home amid the coronavirus pandemic reached its endgame Wednesday as the last ship at sea operated by a major company docked in the Italian port of Genoa.

Costa Deliziosa, which departed Venice on a round-the-world voyage on January 5, was identified by Cruise Lines International Association as the only of its vessels still carrying a significant number of passengers.

The association covers 95% of all cruise ships, including those owned by the industry’s largest operators. . . .” (more)