Gaps in what Covid-19 ship told NZ authorities
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 it wasn’t there.
The ship, which is linked to more than 20 coronavirus deaths and 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 Bay of Islands on March 18.
The passenger with undiagnosed flu-like symptoms, potential consistent with Covid-19, was first reported on March 13. All cruise ships are required to report to health 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 the 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.
It stated that 18 people on board had come down with various illnesses. It stated there was one person on board 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 on March 13-14. Three had boarded the ship at
Sydney on March 8. The others had boarded the vessel between August and December last year.
A further 11 people had fallen ill since March 8, but had recovered. Five of these had influenza A, four had acute gastroenteritis and two had ‘‘upper respiratory illness’’.
Maritime law expert Peter Dawson said although the declaration may have been ‘‘true and correct’’ when signed by the master and ship’s surgeon on March
15 in Napier, it does not reflect the actual health situation on board on March 16, or the location of the vessel, as it 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 the vessel.
‘‘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 of them in Hawke’s Bay.
It is known that before departing Wellington on March
14 the ship 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
Covid-19. All returned a negative result, so the ship was allowed to continue to Napier.
A Health Ministry spokeswoman said the ministry had not previously seen the document. Asked if it had any concerns about the inconsistency, she said the ministry ‘‘does not believe there is an indication of a clear intention to deceive with the two different dates being given on the declaration’’.
A spokesman for Princess Cruises said it would be inappropriate to comment while an inquiry in New Zealand was underway.