Coronavirus: 27 swabs for nearly 4000 people on Ruby Princess cruise- how NZ was put at risk

Twenty-seven swabs. That was New Zealand’s Covid-19 frontline barrier against the 3795 people on the Ruby Princess as it made its way to our shores. Of the many remarkable findings in the 320-page report by the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Ruby Princess , the most concerning is the near total reliance New Zealand had on New South Wales Health and cruise ship company Carnival Cruises to protect us from the threat of Covid-19. Both failed to do their jobs. And while neither could be said to be responsible for the passengers spreading the virus here, the paucity of checks and monitoring raises serious questions about their actions and what needs to change when the indefinite ban on cruise ships is lifted.