Cruise ship misses destination due to Covid outbreak onboard

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The Cunard cruise ship, Queen Elizabeth, missed its scheduled visit to Bali due to the outbreak. The ship had to skip the stop due to local restrictions.

The ship left Sydney on November 7 for a 17 night, one way cruise and was due to make a scheduled stop in Bali on November 28.

A Cunard spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, due to the ongoing rise in community transmission across Australia and this being reflected on various cruise lines, we’re unable to visit Indonesia at this time.

“That has followed ongoing conversations with the respective authorities in Bali, and we understand and respect the current circumstances we’re operating in.

“In light of this, we will sail into Fremantle in the coming days as planned.”

The Queen Elizabeth ship had already made calls at Airlie Beach, Cairns, Port Douglas and Darwin on the trip.

Bali was scheduled to be the only stop outside of Australia and was the last port of call on the trip.

There is no data available for the exact number of passengers that have Covid onboard but local authorities have estimated around 10-15 percent of guests have it.

This means that around 200-350 guests could be testing positive for Covid but no details have yet been released about their condition.

In a recent outbreak on another cruise ship, the Majestic Princess, the majority of cases were mild or asymptomatic.

Queen Elizabeth passengers will need to isolate for five days and take a negative antigen test before being released.

Guests onboard the ship have said that some venues have been closed and there are longer waits for some restaurants.

Passengers with Covid will likely be receiving room service while they recover, which could explain the delays.

Local health authorities have confirmed that the ship will arrive in Fremantle earlier than planned on November 30 instead of December 2.

It is thought that the early arrival will allow the ship’s crew to perform a thorough cleaning before new guests board the ship.

Australia has seen a rise in Covid cases but experts have said the country’s fourth wave is likely to peak before Christmas.

Although cases have continued to rise, they are now doing so at a slower rate and are expected to decline soon.

Carnival Cruise Line recently reinstated mandatory mask wearing on its cruise ships in Australia.

The cruise industry was hit hard by Covid with several horror stories of passengers unable to disembark due to outbreaks onboard in 2020.

Some people called the ships ‘floating petri dishes’ due to the rate of transmission onboard. However, since the industry has restarted, many passengers have regained confidence to travel.

Some cruise lines require passengers to take tests or be vaccinated before boarding but this may depend on the itinerary.

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