- Cruise ship hit by gastro and Covid
- 300 passengers may be affected
- READ MORE: New Covid wave
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A cruise ship has been hit by outbreaks of gastro and Covid with about 300 passengers thought to be affected.
The Grand Princess, operated by Princess Cruises, can carry 2600 passengers as well as 1,150 staff and is on an 18-day round trip from Adelaide to Queensland.
It is due to dock back in South Australia on Monday but a spokesperson for Princess Cruises said a number of passengers have reported to the ship’s medical centre with respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms.
The spokesperson said the majority of passengers were unaffected, however, a 57-year-old passenger who wished to remain anonymous told the Adelaide Advertiser sickness appeared to be running rampant.
The Grand Princess has been best by outbreaks of Covid and gastro during an 18-day cruise around Australia
‘We’ve just got people coughing and sneezing all over the place,’ the said.
Affected passengers had been confined their cabins and provided room service.
The ship’s laundry was also shut after fears it had become an infection hot spot.
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Passenger Maureen Monk told the ABC it had been apparent that people were falling sick on the second day at sea
Ms Monk said the captain announced there were Covid cases on board about a week after gastroenteritis had also swept through the ship.
‘Speaking to other guests, it was quite common that the person they were travelling with was confined, or just come out of confinement, or sick,’ Ms Monk said.
The laundry on the Grand Princess was shut as it was feared to be an infectious hot spot
‘If there was two in the room and one was sick, one could leave and one couldn’t.
‘[The rules] didn’t make sense to me.’
At a recent stop in Melbourne all passengers were ordered off the ship so it could be ‘deep cleaned’ and given $25 vouchers to spend in the city.
On this cruise, the Grand Princess has also stopped at Sydney, Newcastle, Airlie Beach, Cairns and Brisbane.
Princess Cruises has been contacted for comment.
