The recent occurrence of simultaneous outbreaks of COVID and Norovirus on Grand Princess - ship from the fleet of Princess Cruises, has been officially declared over following the docking in Adelaide, with passengers disembarking on Monday morning, November 13th.
South Australia Health reported that the remaining cases on board were within the expected range for any typical cruise ship. Princess Cruises contested the notion of a current double outbreak, stating that the ship (with capacity to accommodate 2600 passengers plus 1150 crew) was on a 4-day roundtrip from Adelaide to Melbourne.
According to a spokesperson, the number of guests with symptoms was in the "single digits."
During a prior 14-day roundtrip from Melbourne to Queensland, some passengers exhibited symptoms of respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses. Although most guests were unaffected, Princess said it had initiated a proactive and comprehensive disinfection program, developed in coordination with international health authorities, to prevent further spread.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas assured that those requiring urgent care upon the ship's arrival in Adelaide would be safely transported to hospital facilities. Monitoring the situation closely over the past 48 hours, Malinauskas noted a significant decrease in reported cases in recent days.
The ship docked in Melbourne on Saturday, November 11th, for a thorough cleaning, during which all passengers disembarked. Princess announced that the liner would undergo another disinfection process in Adelaide on Monday before returning to Melbourne.
However, passengers revealed that guests began reporting feeling unwell on the second day of the voyage, with an increasing number being confined to their rooms.
For more Grand Princess incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.