A Kuwaiti livestock ship has been held off Australia’s coast after a number of crew members tested positive for Covid-19, according to media reports.
According to Reuters, the Al Kuwait departed the Middle East on May 7 and docked near Perth on May 22 after informing Australian authorities that crew members were experiencing high temperatures.
Six later tested positive for the virus and were taken to hotels. Western Australia premier Mark McGowen later asked the Australian Border Force and the Department of Agriculture why the ship was allowed to dock.
“Clearly this is not good,” McGowan was quoted as saying by Reuters. “We want to get to a resolution as soon as possible so that the ship is in a position to leave the port.”
The Border Force, for its part, said that the crew members had “completed all customs and immigration related clearance” and noted that the force had received no reports of illnesses upon its arrival in port.
Mark Harvey Sutton, the CEO of the Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council, said that all protocols and processes were followed, according to Reuters.
The exporter had been planning to ship 56.000 sheep to the Middle East, which are currently being held in a feed lot, Sutton said.
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