Grand Princess cruise ship infected with Covid-19, stomach bug breaks out at Adelaide dock

A cruise ship dealing with Covid-19 and gastroenteritis cases has arrived in Adelaide with fewer than 10 people still sick.

Cruise operator Princess Cruises said in a statement that the Grand Princess arrived at the outer harbor in Adelaide’s northwest suburbs on Monday morning, the second day of a four-day round trip from Melbourne.

“During the last voyage (a 14-day round trip from Melbourne to Queensland), a number of people reported to the medical center with symptoms of respiratory illness and acute gastrointestinal illness.

“While the majority of guests were not affected by illness on that cruise, we proactively initiated a comprehensive disinfection plan, developed in coordination with international health authorities, to prevent further spread.

“As a precaution, the ship will undergo another disinfection process in Adelaide today before returning to Melbourne on Wednesday, November 15.”

The cruise operator said there are currently no “double outbreaks” of illness on board.

“While we have not provided a number of guests who are unwell, we can say the number of guests with symptoms is in single digits,” the statement said. “Some guests have disembarked in Adelaide today after returning from their holidays.”

South Australia’s health department said doctors on board had informed “the outbreak is over and the few remaining cases are in line with the numbers you would expect on any cruise ship”.

“The ship docked in Melbourne on Saturday for cleaning and all passengers were removed during this process,” SA Health said.

The Grand Princess can accommodate 4,000 people, including crew.

“Everywhere smells of vomit”

Passenger Jody, who was on board with 10 other family members, including her 8-year-old daughter, said she had been desperately trying to fix the overflowing toilet.

She said staff told her the problem had been fixed, but the wall behind the toilet was still leaking.

“We had towels everywhere… there was a funny smell in the room and the toilet was full of water,” she said.

She said she and her children were not sick but were worried about being exposed to the virus.

“The smell of vomit was everywhere,” she said. “Someone vomited in the elevator and the elevator still smelled.”

The ABC spoke to Jody on Monday morning as the ship docked in Adelaide and she was waiting to disembark.

Passenger Diana McElligott, who spent 18 days on the cruise ship, said she was not informed of the Covid-19 cases on board.

“We were not told to wear masks, we were told to be careful about showering and things like that, but we never heard anything about COVID-19,” she said.

“They should tell us if there are (cases) on board. Not many staff wear masks, only in the restaurant.”

Sick passengers disembark alone

Premier Peter Malinauskas said “most of the illnesses” occurred before the ship arrived in Melbourne at the weekend.

“When that cruise ship arrived in Melbourne, it was disembarked and given a thorough and deep clean. Basically, the people who came back on the cruise ship were actually new passengers,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide.

“0.6 percent of people on cruise ships suffer from stomach bugs.”

He said those who were sick were disembarked individually upon arrival in Adelaide, while those with symptoms were told to stay on the ship and not travel.

Anne, who canceled her cruise due to injury, told ABC Radio Adelaide her friends contracted Covid-19 and norovirus on the Grand Princess and spent much of the holiday quarantined in their cabins .

“They said the situation was dire and the medical centers were overwhelmed with cases and many people were on drips,” she said.

“They’ve been sick since November 1 and are still sick, so they’re going from one illness to the next.”

She told her friends on the boat to wear masks and sanitize regularly, but she still felt uncomfortable.

Passenger David Weeder, who had been traveling with his wife for 19 days, said the crew on the ship had been keeping passengers informed about the outbreak.

“I had some incidents happen and I think we were lucky that we didn’t take anything away but there was something going around.”

Passengers disembarking in Adelaide are expected to join tours visiting Hahndorf and Barossa Valley wineries, the president of the Tour Guides Association told ABC Radio Adelaide.

He said he would take precautions such as wearing masks and using disinfectants while traveling with tourists on the ship.

“I wish there was some sort of screening process before passengers actually started traveling,” he said.

Grand Princess heads to New Zealand

New Zealand Cruise Lines Association chief executive Jacqui Lloyd told RNZ the Grand Princess would dock in the South Island this weekend.

The Grand Princess is expected to arrive in Fiordland on Saturday and Dunedin on Sunday.

-ABC/RNZ