An inquiry into the Ruby Princess cruise ship ordeal has found “serious”, “inexcusable” and “inexplicable” oversights by NSW Health, which is about as good as it sounds.
The report, which was handed to the NSW Government on Friday afternoon, found a number of “serious errors” were made by NSW Health’s expert panel when it came to the Ruby Princess’ risk assessment on March 18.
The Special Commission of Inquiry into the Ruby Princess ordeal investigated the decisions of NSW Health, the Federal Government and Carnival Australia (the owner of the ship) in the lead up to the ship’s docking in Circular Quay.
According to the report, a “serious and material error” was made the day before the ship was allowed to dock in Sydney Harbour, allowing COVID-19 positive passengers to disembark.
To summarise the 315-page report, Commissioner Bret Walker concluded that all passengers on board the ship should’ve been tested for the virus before being able to disembark the ship, which is the outcome most of us were suspecting.
Walker claimed the decision to mark the Ruby Princess as a “low risk” ship is “as inexplicable as it is unjustifiable.”
“It is inappropriate and unhelpful to make recommendations to experts that in truth amount to no more than ‘do your job’,” Walker said in the report.
The Ruby Princess has been linked to at least 20 coronavirus-related deaths and hundreds of cases across the country. The outbreak was Australia’s first major coronavirus cluster.
You can read the full 315-page report here.
More to come.
