2GB host Ray Hadley has criticized a filler presenter for “foolish” comments made about Covid-19’s plagued Coral Princess cruise.
2GB host Ray Hadley has criticized filling presenter Chris Smith for comments made about the Coral Princess cruise, which has allowed passengers and crew to disembark despite recording 118 cases of Covid on board.
Hadley said he was “ashamed to be on the same network” as him at a heated rally following Smith’s comments Wednesday.
Smith called for calm when panic threatened to result from another inevitable outcome on a well-packed cruise ship. He said passengers were well aware of the risk and said they should be let off the ship immediately in Sydney given the increase in Covid’s figure in NSW.
“We are in a different field, this is very different. We now have defenses against the virus and it’s not like following Princess Ruby, ”Smith said.
“I would say we shouldn’t panic … We have to be real about it, put it in context. We don’t get excited.
“Put it in perspective: there are only 118 positive cases in Coral Princess.
“At the same time, there are more than 130,000 active cases in the NSW community, so today you could be in the city and pass more than 100 people with the virus.”
“We don’t need to worry about this Covid that was always going to spread to cruise ships like it happens on planes, like it happens in workplaces, on foot, and elsewhere.
“These people also knew what they were getting into.”
Hadley immediately ripped Smith off when he went out into the air.
“One of my colleagues this morning said nothing to see here; everything is wonderful,” he said.
“I’m sorry, but the kind of nonsense I heard on the net this morning is nonsense.
“It makes me almost ashamed to be on the same broadcast network as this guy. But anyway, that’s another story I’ll deal with in private.”
The Coral Princess received a level of amber risk from NSW Health when passengers disembarked the ship in Sydney.
The Coral Princess, with about 2,300 people on board, docked at Circular Quay around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Passengers and crew could leave the ship if they returned a rapid negative antigen test.
As of Tuesday, 118 people on board the ship have tested positive for Covid-114 staff and four passengers.
An NSW Health assessment gave the Coral Princess a risk level of Covid amber, indicating a moderate impact for the boat.
This rating allows the ship to safely maintain critical services.
Those who are infected with Covid and their close contacts have been told to isolate themselves in their booths until they give a negative test result.
Others on board must report a negative test result before they are allowed to disembark and passengers have been advised to wear masks while in Sydney.
It comes after 800 passengers were able to disembark in Eden on Tuesday on the same condition that they returned a negative Covid test result.