Operators of the Ruby Princess cruise ship rushed the vessel back to Sydney three hours ahead of schedule because COVID-19 swabs needed to be urgently tested, an inquiry has heard.
Counsel assisting the commissioner Richard Beasley SC asked Dobrila Tokovic, a port agent for Carnival Australia if she understood the 3am arrival was because the ship was “hurrying back to Sydney because the COVID-19 swabs needed testing and that was an urgent matter”.
The Ruby Princess cruise ship "hurried" back to Sydney, arriving three hours ahead of schedule. Credit:Louise Kennerley
Ms Tokovic said that was her understanding, the Special Commission of Inquiry in Sydney heard on Wednesday.
The Ruby Princess, which docked in Sydney on March 19, has been linked to more than 650 cases of COVID-19 in passengers and 21 deaths.
On March 18, Ms Tokovic organised an ambulance transfer for two patients: one with a cardio-related issue and another with a nerve issue. Both were suffering from upper febrile respiratory tract issues.
Both passengers tested negative for influenza A, while COVID-19 swabs had been taken.
The ship's doctor told Ms Tokovic the transfer was not for respiratory issues, but that ambulance staff should be wearing personal protective equipment as a precaution.
The two patients would later test positive for COVID-19.
Trainee paramedic Simeon Pridmore transferred the patient with the heart condition to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital as instructed, and said upon arrival he and the patient were "directly escorted to a COVID-19 area."
Ms Tokovic told the inquiry that when port agents organise a hospital transfer, they select a standard hospital unless otherwise directed.
"We always select St Vincent's Hospital," she said. "If I had requested that hospital, I would have been directed to do so."
On the morning of the 19th, Ms Tokovic assisted to berth the ship and boarded it to collect the COVID-19 swabs.
She gave the samples to a driver who took them to the lab for testing.
Ms Tokovic said she thought NSW Health would board the ship, as they had done on March 8 when the Ruby Princess docked in Sydney after completing one cruise and collecting passengers for the next.
On that date, authorities boarded and assessed passengers and crew with fever and respiratory symptoms. There were no positive COVID-19 tests.
“Considering the number [of cases], my opinion was that NSW Health was going to board the vessel,” she said.
Instead, 2700 passengers were allowed to disembark, including 11 passengers who had been in isolation.
The inquiry continues on Friday.
Laura is a journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald.
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2020-05-06 04:40:32Z
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