Cruise ship docks in Sydney after 800 people on board infected by COVID outbreak

• A cruise ship where 800 people on board have tested positive for COVID has docked in Sydney.
• The president of the cruise operator said cases began to rise halfway through the voyage.

A cruise ship suffering a major COVID outbreak has docked in Sydney, Australia.

The BBC reports that approximately 4,600 passengers and crew were aboard the luxury Majestic Princess, and 800 people were affected by the outbreak of the viral bug.

President of the cruise operator Carnival Australia Marguerite Fitzgerald told ABC Australia that they began seeing many cases halfway through the 12-day cruise around New Zealand, with all cases either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic.

She told the news outlet, "Reflective of the increase in community transmissions, we too have seen more guests test positive for COVID-19 on the current voyage of Majestic Princess. This is a result of mass testing of our 3,300 guests."

She added that staff would be assisting all COVID-positive guests "with accessing private transport and accommodation to complete their isolation period," according to ABC.

One passenger told ABC, per The Guardian: "It was scary because we heard about it, but of course, we tested negative, and the Majestic Princess were really good with the protocols. [We] wore masks for these last seven days, and we were very careful when we went ashore."

Carnival Australia did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

COVID cases are spiking across Australia, with 54,661 cases reported across the country in the last week, said The Guardian.

According to Reuters, Australian authorities have been working to assure the public that this ship outbreak is under control. Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said that authorities had created "regular protocols" since the March-April 2020 Ruby Princess outbreak when hundreds caught COVID-19-linked an Australian cruise around the coast of New Zealand, and 28 people died.

O'Neil told Reuters that the authorities are determining how to get passengers off the Majestic Princess "on a case-by-case basis."

The ship will soon depart for Melbourne, Australia.