A passenger on the Ruby Princess whose friend died of Covid-19 was told three times by the ship’s medical staff that she “only [had] the flu”, even though she had tested negative for influenza, a special inquiry has heard.
Josephine Roope and her friend Lesley Bacon were passengers on the cruise ship from 8 March until 19 March, when the ship docked in Sydney and Bacon was immediately taken to hospital via ambulance.
Bacon, 77, had become ill during the voyage, tested positive for Covid-19 once in hospital, and died a few days later.
On Monday, the NSW special inquiry into the Ruby Princess, heard from multiple passengers who said they did not remember any announcements that passengers with a fever, sore throat or a cough should go to the ship’s medical centre.
Three passengers, Andrew Saulys, Joan Saulys and Lynda De Lamotte said there were regular announcements that passengers should visit the medical centre if they developed symptoms.
But passengers Jill Whittemore, William Wright and Roope told the inquiry that they did not remember any announcements.
Roope said there was “no mention” of coronavirus from the ship’s staff, doctors or nurses, even after Bacon had become seriously ill on board. She said that the medical staff told her “it was only the flu”.
Roope said she spoke to the ship’s senior doctor, Dr Ilse von Watzdorf, and she told her: “Just the flu, nothing to worry about.” Roope said von Watzdorf did not tell her that, at that point, Bacon had tested negative for the flu.
When she was later told that Bacon would be taken off the ship on an ambulance, she said that staff told her multiple times: “It’s only the flu.”
“I think I have that memory [of von Watzdorf saying] there’s nothing to worry about,” she said.
“All I want to know is why did we not get tested? And why did we not go through customs,” she said.
Fellow passenger De Lamotte told the inquiry that she developed a sore throat on board, but was told by guest services she should not get tested because it was too expensive.
De Lamotte, who is an asthmatic who had previously had a heart attack, said she was told by guest services: “Well it’s quite expensive and if you have only got a sore throat, probably not.”
“We asked how much did it cost, and she said she didn’t know,” she said.
De Lamotte said she only found out other passengers had tested positive for Covid-19 by watching the news on TV. She herself later tested positive for Covid-19.
She also told the inquiry that announcements were made thanking passengers for keeping the ship “virus free”.
Counsel for Princess Cruises, David McClure SC, suggested to her that these announcements were about encouraging practices to keep the ship virus free.
“No, it was more backing us for doing the right thing, helping keep the ship virus free,” De Lamotte said.
She also said she did not ask for a coronavirus test, but asked for a test “for the virus”, because that was what staff called it.
“Everybody was talking about ‘the virus’. They just called it ‘the virus’. They didn’t call it Covid-19 … it was just called ‘the virus’.”
Earlier in the day, Jill Whittemore, whose two travelling companions died of Covid-19, told the inquiry the ship held a St Patrick’s Day party for 400 passengers, two days before it ship docked in Sydney.
Whittemore, a traveller from California who also contracted Covid-19, said that neither herself nor her party had any symptoms while on board, and she did not see anybody wearing masks.
On 18 March, De Lamotte said she attended a large “farewell party” on board the day before the ship docked.
“It was crowded, they were dancing literally shoulder to shoulder, passengers and crew.”
She also said that passengers were told they should start counting their 14 days of self-isolation from the day the ship turned around from New Zealand, meaning they only needed to isolate for 11 days after arriving in Sydney.
Whittemore said that when she tested positive after returning to California, nobody from Australia contacted her to ask about her close contacts.
Multiple passengers on the ship who were close contacts of confirmed Covid-19 cases also said they were told by NSW Health not to get tested unless they developed symptoms.
Roope said that NSW Health told her not to be tested without symptoms, even though Bacon was in the intensive care unit.
She said that Bacon’s husband was tested, and told by NSW Health that he was positive, but it “was so slight … in a day or two, he would be fine”.
