23rd April, 2020
The cruise ship Ruby Princess, solely responsible for 10 percent of all coronavirus cases in Australia has finally left the country.
The ill-fated ship owned by British-American operator Carnival Cruiseline, had been moored at Port Kembla, 100 kilometres south of Sydney, since April 6 following a COVID-19 outbreak.
“Ruby Princess has departed Port Kembla. There are around 500 crew members on board,” a spokesperson for Carnival Cruiseline told DPA.
The Ruby Princess, the single biggest source of coronavirus cases in Australia, docked in Sydney Harbour on March 8 after 11 days at sea.
Border and health authorities allowed some 2,700 passengers to leave the ship with only minimal checks, even though about a dozen passengers had shown respiratory symptoms before they disembarked.
More than 650 people, or one in 10 coronavirus cases in Australia, and 21 of the country’s 76 COVID-19-related deaths have been Ruby Princess passengers, according to health authorities.
Ruby Princess in a live footage was seen leaving the dock with tug boats pulling the ship away on Thursday.
“THANK YOU ILLAWARA,” read a large banner on the ship, which is now bound for Manila in the Philippines.