Ruby Princess: Australian police to survey 5,000 passengers

Ruby Princess: Australian police to survey 5,000 passengers

Australian police are to survey more than 5,000 people via an online survey as part of the investigation into the coronavirus-hit Ruby Princess cruise ship.

New South Wales Police will be sending online questionnaires to thousands of passengers as part of the probe into the outbreak on the Princess Cruises vessel.

The 2,647 passengers who disembarked Ruby Princess in Sydney on March 19, as well as 2,995 passengers on the ship’s previous voyage that docked on March 8, will receive the survey.

It will ask them about what they saw and heard during the cruises, who they travelled with, medical treatment and cleaning on board, offshore tours and dining arrangements on board.

Police will then conduct interviews with those who give noteworthy responses by a team of 30 detectives, according to Australian newspaper The New Daily.

The ship is connected to 20 coronavirus deaths in Australia and hundreds of cases across the country. Authorities are investigating if criminal negligence took place, and last week seized the ship’s black box and interviewed crew.

NSW police minister David Elliott told reporters in Australian that the force would work alongside overseas counterparts in an investigation “like no other”.

He said: “There’s no rule book when it comes to these sorts of inquiries. It’s very unusual for something this large, across so many jurisdictions, to be put into the lap of one person.”