Police chief Mick Fuller last week said he had “drawn a line in the sand” for the ship to leave on Sunday, but health concerns for crew have delayed the ship’s departure from Port Kembla until later this week.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said the cruise ship, with more than 1000 crew on board, was restocked, refuelled and ready to depart Port Kembla.
However, the escalating number of crew sick with the deadly virus remains a major health hazard and a headache for NSW authorities.
“It’s something we can’t get wrong,” Deputy Comm. Worboys said today.
There were still “some health outcomes” that needed to occur before the Ruby Princess is ordered out of Australian waters and sets sail for Manila.
The death toll from cases linked to the ship has reached 21, while hundreds of passengers and crew members have tested positive for the virus.
