Ruby Princess hotel manager surprised NSW Health did not board ship
The hotel manager on the Ruby Princess said he expected NSW Health to board the ship for a health assessment before allowing passengers to disembark given there was illness on board and COVID-19 test results pending.
Charles Verwall, who is second in seniority to the ship's captain, appeared via video link before the Special Commission of Inquiry into the embattled cruise ship on Thursday morning.
Mr Verwall told the hearing there had been "difficult" signals for crew members regarding COVID-19.
Despite there being passengers with flu-like and respiratory symptoms on board, five passengers returned negative COVID-19 test results in New Zealand and then NSW Health did not conduct a health clearance when the ship arrived in Sydney.
"We were all concerned because, as we know now, at that moment a lot of things were going on in the world, so we were very concerned," Mr Verwall said.
"But at that moment don't forget we had the five tests that were negative, and then NSW Health did not come on board to do a health clearance. You think it could be [a greater risk of COVID-19] but on the other the signals you get... that is not the case. It's very difficult."
Hotel manager on the Ruby Princess Charles Verwall.Credit:Internet
The hearing, before Commissioner Bret Walker SC, heard that following the ship's previous voyage to New Zealand, which ended in Sydney on March 8, a NSW Health assessment team boarded the ship to examine more than 300 hotel guests with a range of flu-like symptoms, before disembarkation took place.
The ship then took its most recent voyage, which has since been linked to more than 650 cases of COVID-19 in passengers and 21 deaths. More than 150 crew members have also tested positive.
The night before the ship returned to Sydney on March 19, Mr Verwall said he was aware NSW sent an email to the ship saying an "expert panel has assessed the Ruby Princess and will not be boarding the ship to make a health assessment."
The email also included confirmation that 15 samples from passengers would be kept for later COVID-19 testing.
The Ruby Princess, docked in Sydney on March 19.Credit:Kate Geraghty
"We were really surprised we did not have same treatment from NSW Health as we did on the 8th [of March]... because all the other steps taken were the same as before," he told counsel assisting Richard Beasley SC.
He said that he was also surprised passengers were allowed to leave the ship while test results were pending.
The inquiry began its first hearings on Wednesday in order to hear from crew on the ship before it leaves Australian waters on Thursday bound for the Philippines.
But the state opposition, which had repeatedly called for a special commission of inquiry into the Ruby Princess, criticised Premier Gladys Berejiklian for not revealing on Wednesday that public hearings were underway.
NSW Labor's deputy leader Yasmin Catley said the hearings began in "secret".
"The Premier failed to disclose that this hearing was going ahead at her morning briefing and we want to know why. They want to chase that ship out of port along with key witnesses and evidence, so they have had to rush this process and they have sought to do so under a veil of secrecy," Ms Catley said.
But Ms Berejiklian said on Thursday it would have been "improper" for her to have notice of the hearings before the inquiry notified the public on its website late on Tuesday.
Mr Walker also issued a statement, strenuously denying that notice of the start of public hearings had been "hidden" said the inquiry had taken "urgent steps to summons crew that remained on the ship" while it was still docked at Port Kembla, south of Sydney.
"This Special Commission of Inquiry is entirely independent of government," Mr Walker's statement said.