Majestic Princess cruise ship has 800 Covid-infected passengers on board, set to dock in Sydney

A cruise ship carrying as many as 800 Covid-infected passengers will dock in Sydney on Saturday morning.

The Majestic Princess will arrive in Sydney Harbor at approximately 6am with 4,600 crew and guests.

Those on board affected by the virus are isolating themselves in their rooms while crew members have been urged to wear personal protective equipment, Nine News reported.

Passengers who are not infected will wear face masks when disembarking.

Princess Cruises confirmed that some guests had tested positive, arranging private transportation to put them in isolation at a location of their choice after disembarking.

“These guests are mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic and are isolated in their staterooms,” the company said in a statement.

All unaffected guests are wearing masks and will remain so when they disembark in Sydney on November 12.

“We have been proactively preparing for and managing incidents from COVID-19 and continue to work closely with NSW Health, including adhering to their guidelines.”

Rules for cruise ships on the East Coast state that those who test positive on board must “isolate for five full days from the date of their positive test result.”

The Majestic Princess had just embarked on a 12-day cruise to New Zealand.

NSW Health has confirmed that the Covid risk level on the cruise ship has been categorized as Level 3, indicating a high level of transmission.

Those on board who have tested positive will receive medical care.

Those disembarking have done a quick test.

It comes after NSW Chief Health Officer Dr. Kerry Chant urged Australians to make sure they were up to date on their vaccinations.

She said a “fourth wave” of Covid infections was sweeping the country, but the number of infections would drop in a few weeks.

‘The [new Covid] wave ascends with a certain course, it will be quite a steep wave and hopefully the drop will be just as steep,” Dr. Chant to the ABC.

“That’s why it’s important that the community takes these protective measures now and I can’t emphasize the urgency – if you want to get vaccinated, do it immediately.”

Ms Chant added that she expects the fourth wave of Covid to subside before December 25.

“The wave may peak before Christmas and we may be waning,” she said.

Cases have risen in NSW, Victoria and Queensland with the Sunshine State recommending masks be worn in some indoor settings.

The state also advised residents to test every two days if they live with someone who has tested positive for Covid.

The ABC’s chief health correspondent, Dr. Norman Swan, said Australia was “into the next wave” and grimly warned of further deaths.

‘[Cases are] going, Victoria and NSW 20 percent in the past week, South Australia 27 percent, Tasmania 40 percent,” he told RN Breakfast on Friday.

“It’s very difficult at this point to tell the death statistics, unfortunately they will follow.”

But Australia’s former deputy chief physician, Dr Nick Coatsworth, had previously refused to talk about the latest wave, saying it’s time to ‘move on’ with the pandemic.

Catherine Bennett, president of epidemiology at Deakin University, also weighed in on the influx of cases, saying that “being anxious isn’t the answer.”

“Go on and do your normal things,” she told Daily Mail Australia.

‘Panic never helps in my opinion. Being aware of changing risks and responding to them and managing them is the best thing you can do.’

Professor Bennett acknowledged that residents should be aware of the latest wave.

“We’re seeing numbers, especially hospitalizations, rising across the country,” she said.

“We know from data from abroad that adding Covid variants to the mix increases transmission rates. What it means for individuals is that their exposure risk increases.’

Professor Bennett said it was important that residents listened to the advice of health professionals, got their booster, but didn’t make drastic changes in their lives.