Australian Police Raid Cruise Ship That Reportedly Caused Spike In COVID-19 Cases

Australian police said Thursday a raid was conducted on a Princess Cruises ship to gather evidence as part of an investigation into a surge oinCOVID-19 cases suspected to have been caused by passengers from the cruise.

The raid was conducted by the New South Wales Police Service on the Ruby Princess on Wednesday. Commissioner Mick Fuller said officers had seized the ship’s black box and other evidence as part of the investigation, but most of the ship’s crew reportedly chose to remain on the Ruby in self-quarantine.

“I can confirm there’s still over 1,000 crew members on the ship,” Fuller told reporters. “They feel safe on the ship and I think that’s a good outcome.”

He said the Ruby’s captain also was cooperating.

New South Wales police began its investigation on Sunday after officers linked a recent surge in COVID-19 cases to the cruise ship. The Ruby Princess was allowed to dock in Sydney on March 19 and around 2,700 passengers were able to disembark even though more than a dozen people reportedly showed symptoms of coronavirus.

Since then, around 600 confirmed cases and 15 deaths have been traced back to the ship.

“After reviewing the information at hand, the only way I can determine whether our national biosecurity laws or our state laws were broken is through a criminal investigation,” Fuller told reporters. He said the investigation would be conducted alongside the New South Wales coroner’s investigation.

Around 200 crew members who remained in self-quarantine on the ship have shown symptoms and 18 reportedly tested positive. The remaining crew will continue to undergo examinations while the Ruby is set to remain docked in Sydney for 10 days more.

Fuller said there are still thousands of interviews to be conducted with the ship’s passengers, crew, and state and federal officials.