A doctor from the coronavirus-hit Ruby Princess cruise ship has told a special commission of inquiry that NSW authorities thought a request for ambulances for two passengers was a “bogus call”.
Dr Ilse von Watzdorf told the first day of the inquiry on Wednesday that ambulances were ordered in advance of the ship’s arrival into Sydney early on a mid-March morning.
“They inquired about the number of people we had declared,” she said via video link.
“We had two patients to medically disembark.”
The two sick patients reportedly had a heart condition and nerve damage, but no clear and obvious signs of COVID-19.
The Ruby Princess later docked in Sydney and its 2700 passengers disembarked without adequate health checks – despite many reporting symptoms of respiratory illness. The ship has since been linked to at least 21 deaths and hundreds of coronavirus cases across Australia.
The special commission of inquiry into the ship’s arrival, overseen by barrister Bret Walker, SC, is running in parallel to a NSW police criminal probe by Strike Force Bast. Its report is due by September.
A coronial inquest also remains a possibility.
The Ruby Princess remains docked at Port Kembla, south of Sydney, but it has been ordered to leave Australian waters by the end of Thursday.
It still has hundreds of crew on board, including about 40 who have the coronavirus. NSW Health is monitoring their condition.
Two more crew members were removed from the ship on Wednesday, and transferred to NSW hospitals.
Others were taken by buses on Tuesday and Wednesday to NSW hotels, where they will remain until they can be repatriated on charter flights to their home countries.
They will be isolated in their hotel rooms until their flight.
On Wednesday, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram had written to cruise ship parent company Carnival Australia and directed the Ruby Princess to depart national waters on Thursday.
The ship’s captain does not have the coronavirus and will be able to sail the vessel.
“Nine individuals flew home last night, another 18 [are] flying home today and the rest will fly home over the next two days,” Mr Fuller said.
“It was either the responsibility of Carnival or the individual consulates to arrange transportation home – that was the deal I cut.”
The Australian Border Force has been contacted for comment.
On Tuesday, crew members clapped and cheered from their balconies as the first of their workmates finally began to disembark.
One disembarking female crew member from Ireland, meanwhile, said she was “absolutely delighted” and “never thought the day would come”.
“I’ve been in the cabin for like, about a month now,” she said in footage shared by NSW Police.
“It’s so surreal … it’s slightly overwhelming.”
By Sunday night, 190 of the crew remaining on board the cruise liner had tested positive for COVID-19.
A further 12 infected crew had previously been evacuated to NSW hospitals.
NSW Opposition Leader Jodi McKay this week said the ship should stay in Australia until every crew member was either well or repatriated to their home countries.
-more to come
-with AAP
The post Ruby Princess doctor: NSW officials queried ‘bogus call’ for ambulances appeared first on The New Daily.
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