A criminal investigation has been launched in Australia into how cruise ship passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney despite some exhibiting flu-like symptoms. More than 600 people on board the Ruby Princess later tested positive for coronavirus and 10 have since died.

The ship remains off the coast with nearly 200 sick crew members on board. Police in New South Wales said they would look into whether national biosecurity laws had been broken. Australia has so far reported 5,548 coronavirus cases and 30 deaths. Those sickened on cruise ships account for nearly a tenth of all cases in Australia.

At a news conference, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said there were “many unanswered questions” about the incident. He said that, by law, vessels were only allowed to dock and disembark passengers if the captain could assure the local authorities that their ship was free from contagious disease.(BBC)…[+]