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Overview
The Ruby Princess cruise ship visited New Zealand between 11 and 15 March 2020* before cutting its trip short and returning to Sydney before the Australian government shut its borders to cruise ships because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
By the time the ship’s passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney on 19 March, 120 had acute respiratory infections, with 21 contracting Covid-19. As of August 2020, 28 people have died and there have been at least 854 cases of Covid-19 across Australia as a result (plus unknown figures for international passengers). A Special Commission of Inquiry into the Ruby Princess by the State of New South Wales (15 August 2020) found NSW Health remiss in allowing passengers to disembark despite not having test results back for sick passengers.
Timeline
On 14 March 2020 the New Zealand Government banned cruise ships and instructed them not to come to New Zealand before 30 June. However, ships already in New Zealand waters were given an exemption, and the Ruby Princess was allowed to continue sailing. Ruby Princess passengers visited Te Papa on 14 March. No staff contracted the virus, but it was a key factor in Te Papa closing on 20 March to determine the safest course of action.
Napier was not so lucky. The virus spread to rest home residents and several health workers after they came into contact with Ruby Princess passengers on 15 March.
By 19 March, and for the first time in history, the New Zealand government closed the country's borders to all but New Zealand citizens and permanent residents (the spread of Covid-19 in New Zealand has largely been through international travellers and New Zealanders returning to the country).
The cruise industry
Cruise ships have played a controversial role in the spread of the virus. Over 23 million people take cruises each year. Stranded cruise ships became a symbol of the Covid-19 pandemic, with passengers and crew desperate to disembark, but ports refusing entry. The most infamous ship with Covid-19 infections was the Diamond Princess (a sister ship to Ruby Princess). The Diamond Princess was quarantined off the coast of Japan in February 2020, causing the confined ship to become an incubator for the disease. More than 600 people fell ill, with 14 passengers dying.
‘Come back new’
This brochure for Princess Cruises in Australia, New Zealand and Asia includes itineraries for New Zealand and specifications for the Ruby Princess. The cover image features a serene image of the Majestic Princess in Milford Sound, and the gleaming pages promise the opposite experiences to the events which played out for the cruise industry during Covid-19. ‘Authentic experiences’ of food, wine, Māori culture, arts and heritage, awaited those who booked a cruise.
The particular itinerary for the Ruby Princess encompassed Fiordland National Park, Dunedin, Akaroa, Wellington, Napier and Tauranga. New Zealand authorities have since reflected how lucky Tauranga was to escape the Ruby Princess visiting.
*The Ruby Princess left Australia on 8 March with nearly 2700 passengers and 1100 crew. It travelled to Fiordland (11 March), Dunedin (12 March), Akaroa (13 March), Wellington (14 March) and Napier (15 March), disembarking at Sydney on 19 March.