Crisis situation on a dream trip: After corona infection was found in nine people on a cruise ship, another 46 complained of symptoms. The return campaign started on Sunday.
Canberra / Bonn (dpa) - After 46 suspected corona on a German cruise ship off Australia, the return campaign of hundreds of passengers began on Sunday (local time).
A Covid-19 infection had previously been confirmed in nine people on board the ship with a total of 832 passengers. Those affected are treated in hospitals in Perth.
Three of the sufferers were in critical condition in the intensive care unit, Roger Cook said. A "crisis point" was reached on the ship when numerous passengers complained about corona symptoms on Friday. The German cruise ship has been in Freemantle, south of Perth, since Thursday. Most of the passengers are German. There are more than 230 crew members on board.
Anyone who did not test positive and showed no symptoms of illness was allowed to fly home, according to the Bonn tour operator Phoenix. In the four chartered planes, 40 German vacationers stranded due to the corona crisis were to be brought to Frankfurt.
How many passengers were actually allowed to go home should be decided later in the day. "We are waiting for the test results," said the managing director of the tour operator, Benjamin Krumpen. In total, the campaign was calculated with 860 people - in addition to ship travelers, crew members and the stranded holidaymakers. The machines should start every hour in the afternoon local time. Those who test positive and those who feel unwell should remain in quarantine on instruction from the authorities in Australia.
The health authorities had been on board the "MS Artania" the day before and had taken further samples. According to the organizer, all guests were in their cabins during this critical period.
