Coronavirus crisis: McGowan and Morrison governments trade barbs over responsibility for COVID-19 ships

The McGowan and Morrison governments have traded barbs, blaming each other as crew from two more ships berthed at Geraldton and Fremantle tested positive for coronavirus. Health Minister Roger Cook accused the Morrison Government of not wanting to “get its hands dirty”, saying it had the ultimate responsibility of making sure overseas livestock and mineral carriers did not set sail for WA with COVID-19 infected crew. His comments drew a sharp response from the office of Prime Minister Scott Morrison, saying the “WA Government has ultimate responsibility for managing the health of people entering the state”. Four livestock and mineral carriers have arrived in WA over the last three weeks carrying coronavirus-infected crew members on board, sparking massive operations to ensure the disease did not spread into local communities. “We need to continue to make sure the Australian economy can grow and move forward,” Mr Cook said today. “One of the ways we have to do that is ensure that ships that are coming to Australia are not bringing COVID-19 with them. “And that’s the role of the Commonwealth Government to actually work with their trading partners around the world to ensure that they get the situation under control. “I am amazed at the amount of time that the Commonwealth, particularly Mathias Cormann, spend commentating on the work that State Governments do. “Well now it’s time for them to do some of the heavy lifting. “Get their hands dirty and actually protect Australians by protecting our trading infrastructure.” The office of Prime Minister Scott Morrison hit back, saying it had “always been the case” that state governments were responsible for managing the health of Australians and people from overseas arriving in their jurisdiction. “WA has a strong system of managing the health of overseas arrivals as has been seen several times this year,” a government spokesperson said. “As a first line of defence, the Australian Government has been working closely with overseas governments to ensure their air and sea freight crews follow the strictest health protocols to ensure they minimise risk. However, the WA Government has ultimate responsibility for managing the health of people entering the state.” In the latest incidents, a crew member on the bulk carrier Key Integrity, which berthed at Geraldton Port on Saturday morning, was swabbed by a local nurse after previously displaying coronavirus-like symptoms. The test was fast-tracked by the laboratory and came back positive yesterday afternoon. The infected crew member is now symptom-free and isolating in a cabin on the vessel. The Key Integrity, which has about 20 crew aboard, sailed from Manila on October 6. Before it departed, 13 new crew boarded the vessel and all were tested for the virus. In a separate maritime outbreak announced on Saturday, a crew member from the Al Messilah livestock ship docked at Fremantle Port also tested positive. On Friday, the crew member needed medical treatment for a non-COVID related condition and was taken to Fiona Stanley Hospital in a chartered bus. He was tested at the hospital for coronavirus as a precaution and then transferred to hotel quarantine. PPE was used by hospital staff and during transportation. On Saturday, his test returned positive and an outbreak was declared on the Al Messilah, which has 52 crew from various nationalities on-board. The pilot who boarded the Al Messilah is isolating at home and health authorities are investigating if any other inspection crew also boarded the vessel. It’s understood the Al Messilah crew member complained of a stomach issue, but also had a cough. It’s not known if other crew have coronavirus-like symptoms. Australian Live Exporters Council CEO Mark Harvey-Sutton said the Al Messilah was in Fremantle to collect about 50,000 sheep to be taken to the Middle East. The sheep are now being held at a feedlot in Perth and would only be moved once the vessel was declared ready to set sail. He said outbreaks on international ships was going to be an ongoing “reality” during the pandemic and the welfare of crew should be the priority. These latest outbreaks come after crew from two other vessels — the Patricia Oldendorff and Vega Dream — arrived in Port Hedland after also picking up crew in Manila. “This is obviously a very deeply concerning pattern,” Mr Cook said. “Fortunately, our WA health teams are very good at dealing with these situations, but it will continue to happen unless something is done to ensure crew do not get on the ships carrying the virus. “Dealing with this is out of the control of the WA Government. This is where the Federal Government must get involved to do what it can to help these situations and stop occurring in the future.” Maritime Union boss Christy Cain said today that it was only a matter of time before coronavirus from ships spread to Geraldton, Port Hedland and the Fremantle communities. Mr Cain said overseas crew members were boarding vessels 24 hours after being tested for the virus, but instead, should be made to quarantine for 14 days after the tests. He said crew members should be tested when they arrive in WA — not just when they get sick. “What we are finding out is that these guys are going on the vessels if they haven’t got symptoms 24 hours before — not 14 days,” he said. Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia chief Paul Everingham tonight issued a statement saying its members were working closely with their shipping agents and maritime authorities “to ensure crews meet stringent health and safety requirements, including COVID-19 testing”. “CME is currently in discussions with members to determine what additional protocols could be put in place in partnership with government, regulators and the shipping industry,” Mr Everingham said. “In the short term, CME is looking into options such as risk-based asymptomatic testing of arriving crew to ensure any risks of potential infection are picked up as early as possible.”