Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess contracts COVID-19, gastroenteritis during trip to Australia

A cruise ship has finally arrived in an Australian port after its passengers and crew spent two weeks floating in petri dishes of COVID-19 and gastroenteritis.

Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess arrived in Port Adelaide after an 18-day round trip to Queensland. The 2,600-passenger and 1,150-crew ship has been ravaged by two outbreaks.

A 57-year-old passenger told reporters Advertisers They believe hundreds of people could be affected.

If the raw data weren’t scary enough, several passengers also gave vivid descriptions of the environmental conditions aboard the Grand Princess.

“There’s a guy two doors down from us who has COVID-19 and has a gastrointestinal bug, we don’t know anything about it and you can smell it in the corridor,” one passenger told Channel 9. today show.

Jeff and DeLines told Advertisers They discovered a “strong toilet smell” in the ship’s theater.

“There were a few times where we smelled sewage-type odors,” Jeff Lines said.

Other passengers said the crew had been diligently enforcing hygiene measures and had “cleaned the entire ship about twice.”

This includes all passengers disembarking in Melbourne on Saturday so the ship can be thoroughly cleaned.

South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas said this today show His administration has been monitoring the infected ship as it sails back to his state, and those on board who need hospital care will be safely transported to shore.

“The good news is that the reports we’re getting from cruise ship operators indicate that the number of cases has actually decreased significantly over the past few days,” Malinauskas said.

“But gosh, I do have feelings for the people on the boat. Imagine having them both at the same time – that’s not fun at all,” he added.

A spokesperson for Princess Cruises confirmed to the media Advertisers Some passengers reported gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms to medical centers.

“We have actively initiated a comprehensive disinfection plan developed in coordination with international health authorities to prevent further spread of the virus,” the spokesperson said.

“As an additional precaution, we are arranging today for the vessel to undergo additional disinfection prior to its next voyage.”

The Grand Princess made headlines at the start of the coronavirus pandemic when it was anchored off the coast of San Francisco while undergoing testing.

More than 100 people were infected and at least seven died.