How Cruise Ship Rides Escalated Corona Virus Infections

There is a reported jump in the cases of corona virus infections in Australia and officials are blaming this on cruise ship rides by its citizens.

Recall an earlier story by The Eagle on how picnickers at Bondi beach in one of Australia’s eastern suburbs of Sydney clashed with police trying to get them obey orders on social distancing.

The government had taken the measure to contain the incidences of the virus but citizens were unwilling to trade their pleasures. (see Police Spoil The Fun For Picnickers, Clashes Imminent)

The fears of the authorities appear to be confirmed with this latest reported jump in cases that was almost entirely due to passengers, who disembarked a cruise ship in Sydney several days ago.

. The ship, Carnival Corp’s Ruby Princess, became the country’s largest source of coronavirus infections as one of its passengers also became the eighth fatality nationally.

In a chain of events described by New South Wales state Police Minister, David Elliott, as a “monumental stuff-up’’, about 2,700 passengers were allowed to leave the ship when it docked in Sydney on March 19.

According to Reuters,  as at Tuesday, about 130 of those passengers had tested positive and officials were frantically hunting down other travellers to test them and track their movements.

Australia stepped closer to a full lockdown on Tuesday, with authorities warning of harsher penalties for anybody violating self-isolation orders as they began to worry that hospitals were starting to feel the strain.

With 1,984 cases, Australia has registered significantly lower rates of coronavirus compared to elsewhere in the world, but the infection rate has quickened in recent days.

In fact, NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, said it was now at a “critical stage’’.