Over two and a half thousand people have signed a petition, calling for the repatriation of the Irish crew members on board the quarantined Ruby Princess cruise ship in Sydney, Australia.

 

Castlebar musician Kate Heneghan is a member of the group Emerald Tide who are among over 1,000 crew members still on board the ship which is docked south of Sydney.

An online petition on Change.Org is calling on the Department of Foreign Affairs to repatriate the Irish crew members, who have spent almost four weeks in quarantine in their cabins.

It's believed a total of 140 crew members have tested positive for Covid-19, and crew members claim they have insufficient medical equipment and personnel on board to deal with the crisis.

 

Earlier this week, Kate Heneghan told Midwest News that they were grateful for the help of Irish politicians and officials from the Dept of Foreign Affairs to return the group to Ireland, and all she wants at this point is to return home to Castlebar.

 

A spokesperson for the Dept of Foreign Affairs says they're aware of the case involving Irish citizens on board the Ruby Princess cruise ship, and said the Irish consulate in Sydney remains in contact with Irish citizens on the ship and with authorities in Australia to ensure the health and safety of the Irish citizens on board.