Australian authorities have told a German cruise ship docked in Fremantle to leave its waters 'immediately' after five passengers and two crew tested positive for coronavirus.
Western Australia state premier Mark McGowan said that passengers on the Bahamas-flagged, 1,260-passenger capacity Artania will not be allowed to disembark in Australia except in the case of a 'life-threatening emergency'.
He told journalists in Perth that the ship's 'home port' is Germany and it needs to leave immediately, adding that if the passengers in question needed to disembark for treatment, they must go to a government facility, such as a defence force base.
On Saturday 28 March 46 people on the 1984-built Artania were reported as displaying Covid-19 symptoms.
They are being treated in private hospitals in Perth ahead of repatriation arranged by the Australian and German governments. Meanwhile the cruise ship remains docked at Fremantle.
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