The patients were transferred from the Artania cruise ship to Joondalup Private Hospital on board two Transperth buses on Monday morning, arriving around 11:00 am.
Following a row with doctors and nurses, the Federal and State governments reached an agreement for the patients to be treated at the 145-bed private facility co-located at Joondalup Health Campus.
“This humanitarian hospital care will be provided in one of the state’s premier facilities, which is fully prepared for and is already treating COVID-19 patients,” Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said in a statement on Monday.
Joondalup Health Campus chief executive Kempton Cowan said it was important the private sector helped “on the frontline”.
Private hospital nurses had threatened industrial action after Hollywood and Bethesda hospitals were called upon to treat the patients, with the Australian Nursing Federation saying they lacked adequate training, equipment and confidence.
But the ANF and Australian Medical Association have backed this new arrangement, saying Joondalup Health Campus is an appropriate facility with properly prepared staff.
There are now 41 people from the German cruise ship who have tested positive for the virus, including three in intensive care.
The Artania docked at Fremantle on Friday with 800 passengers and 500 crew on board, after originally being told by the West Australian government that it would not be allowed to do so.
Nine initial passengers and crew tested positive for coronavirus and were taken to Perth public hospitals for treatment.
Another three people were evacuated from the ship for emergency medical reasons and placed in intensive care, with the government confirming three more cases earlier yesterday.
Any of the Artania patients currently in public hospitals who are deemed well enough to be transferred will also be sent to Joondalup Health Campus.
The rest of the German cruise ship’s healthy passengers headed home after boarding chartered flights out of Perth.
The Artania is one of two cruise ships that docked at Fremantle, with Australians disembarking the Vasco da Gama transferred off the vessel on Monday to serve a two-week quarantine period.
Around 200 West Australian passengers were ferried to Rottnest Island after it was set up as a quarantine zone.
They will be housed in the existing accommodation, which includes a hostel, bungalows, cabins and dormitories.
About 600 other Australians from the Vasco da Gama will be quarantined at the Duxton Hotel in Perth’s CBD for two weeks before flying home.
Almost 100 New Zealand passengers were flown out overnight Saturday and arrived in Auckland yesterday.
“We’re happy to report no cases of COVID-19 onboard,” Cruise and Maritime Voyages Australia managing director Dean Brazier said.
“After being at sea for over two weeks straight, and with so much change happening around the world, we are glad to give our passengers some certainty.”
Vasco da Gama was scheduled to depart Fremantle for London on Monday night with all 552 crew onboard.
Around 270 Australian passengers from Italian cruise liners arrived in Perth on Monday on a Qatar Airways aircraft and will also be quarantined at the Duxton Hotel.
Around three-quarters of Western Australia’s 311 confirmed coronavirus cases have come from a flight or cruise ship.
The state has also recorded two deaths linked to cruise ships.
Non-residents are currently allowed to travel to Western Australia providing they go into isolation for 14 days upon arrival.
But Premier Mark McGowan is considering implementing a hard border, which would deny entry to anyone other than essential workers or returning West Australian residents.
