A total of 140 crew members of the cruise ship Ruby Princess, which is still docked in Australian waters, have tested positive for COVID-19.
The figure is being revealed after 13 more crew members tested positive to the virus in the latest round of testing, data from the New South Wales Ministry of Health (NSW Health) shows.
In addition, there are 12 Ruby Princess crew members with COVID-19 in health facilities in NSW. The vessel has a total of 1,040 crew members on board.
In NSW, 369 passengers who were on the Ruby Princess have tested positive and there have been 8 deaths associated with the ship.
The ship is subject of an investigation by the NSW Police as it is believed to have become Australia’s biggest source of COVID-19 infections. It is linked to hundreds of confirmed coronavirus cases and a number of deaths.
In response to the recent order from the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Princess Cruises, operator of Ruby Princess, canceled all voyages through June 30, 2020. The company also canceled all Princess Alaska Gulf cruise and cruise tours.
“This global outbreak continues to challenge our world in unimaginable ways. We recognize how disappointing this is to our long-term business partners and thousands of employees, many of whom have been with us in Alaska for decades,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises.
“ We hope everyone impacted by these cancellations – especially our guests, travel advisor partners, teammates, and the communities we visit – understand our decision to do our part to protect the safety.”