As part of routine assessment of travellers entering Australia from overseas, NSW Health is assisting Australian Government agencies in assessing passengers who have been in China in the previous 14 days for novel coronavirus infection (CoVID19).
This includes a Health team at Sydney International Airport which has assessed more than 16,000 incoming passengers, none of whom have been identified to have CoVID-19, as well as passengers arriving on cruise ships from overseas.
PHOTO – Unidentified cruise ship docked at Sydney terminal
As cruise ships have large number of passengers (often thousands), many of whom are older and have chronic medical conditions, passengers often require medical management while on the cruise or on disembarkation, unrelated to infectious diseases.
As part of this effort, passengers on a cruise ship arriving into Sydney this morning were assessed. None had been in China in the previous 14 days and there was no outbreak of any disease on board. There were 3 routine medical transfers, none related to respiratory illness.
One person has been tested for respiratory illness on board with results expected this afternoon. As is routine in these circumstances, testing was done as a precaution as there is no indication that the person is at particular risk of CoVID-19, and at this point there is no concern for other passengers or people in and around Circular Quay.