Gaps in cruise ship declaration
Staff on a cruise ship at the centre of the coronavirus cluster on both sides of the Tasman were aware of a passenger on board with undiagnosed ‘‘influenza-like illness’’ when the ship docked in New Zealand ports but did not isolate them, official health documents show.
A health declaration from Ruby Princess cruise ship, obtained by Stuff, outlining the number of ill people on board also appears to have been sent from a port it didn’t visit, on a date that it wasn’t there.
The ship, which is linked to more than 20 coronavirus deaths and more than 600 infections across Australia and New Zealand, visited New Zealand between March 11 and March 15, when it cut its trip short and returned to Sydney.
It sailed from Napier on March 15, skipping intended visits to Tauranga on March 16, Auckland on March 17, and the Bay of Islands on March 18.
The passenger with undiagnosed flu-like symptoms, potentially consistent with Covid-19, was first reported on March 13.
All cruise ships are required to report to authorities about the health conditions of passengers on board before docking.
A maritime declaration of health, obtained by Stuff under the Official Information Act, was sent to Auckland District Health Board on March 15.
But the declaration, signed by the ship’s master and ship’s surgeon on March 15, purported to be submitted at the port of Tauranga on March 16.
The declaration stated that 18 people on board had come down with various illnesses.
It said there was one passenger with an ‘‘influenza-like illness’’. This person boarded the ship at Sydney on March 8.
They reported their illness on March 13, and were listed as ‘‘recovered’’ on the declaration. They were not in isolation.
A further six people were in isolation with Influenza A. All six had reported ill over March 13 to 14. Three had boarded at Sydney on March 8. The others boarded the vessel between August and December last year. It does not state whether they were crew or passengers.
A further 11 people had fallen ill since March 8 but had recovered. Five of these had Influenza A, four had acute gastro-enteritis and two had ‘‘upper respiratory illness’’.
Maritime law expert Peter Dawson said the date of the declaration appeared at odds with the actual location of the vessel on the date it was signed.
Although the declaration may have been ‘‘true and correct’’ when signed on March 15 in Napier, it does not reflect the actual health situation on board the vessel on March 16, or the location of the vessel, as the ship was not in Tauranga.
‘‘Given what was known of Covid-19 at the time, it does seem strange that more attention was not given to the timing and accuracy of the declaration. To me, it
really points to a bigger issue, namely the short notice given to the Ministry of Health and the port medical officer prior to a vessel’s arrival, of the medical conditions on board.’’
‘‘In my view, 24 hours or less is not a lot of time for a health authority to make an informed decision on whether to allow a vessel to dock,’’ Dawson said.
The ship’s owner, Carnival, is under investigation in Australia. Customs NZ is leading an investigation that will look into declarations made by the cruise ship during its visit here. The ship is responsible for a cluster of 24 cases here, most in Hawke’s Bay.
It is known that before departing Wellington on March 14, the Ruby Princess notified Hawke’s Bay DHB that there were several ill people on board with flu-like symptoms and all but one of them had tested positive for Influenza A.
On notice from Hawke’s Bay DHB, the ship had five people with flu-like symptoms tested for Covid19. All returned a negative result, so the ship was allowed to continue to Napier.
A Health Ministry spokeswoman said it had not previously seen the document.
Asked if the ministry had any concerns about the inconsistency, she said it ‘‘does not believe there is an indication of a clear intention to deceive with the two different dates being given on the declaration’’.
‘‘The declaration was signed and dated on 15 March, and sent to the Auckland Regional Public Health Service on that day. The vessel was actively providing information about the state of health on the vessel but then the ship’s itinerary changed and they did not visit Auckland,’’ she said.
A spokesman for Princess Cruises said it would be inappropriate to comment while an inquiry was under way.