Denmark Antarctic passengers cleared of coronavirus, one remains in ICU

Nine of 10 Denmark residents caught up in a COVID-19 cruise ship saga have now tested negative, but one remains in a Uruguayan intensive care unit. The Advertiser understands that as of yesterday, 74-year-old Rose Paget remained in a stable but critical condition nearly three weeks after she was moved from the Greg Mortimer cruise ship to a private hospital in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo. Nine of the 10 Denmark passengers have since returned negative results — including Mrs Paget. A mercy flight from Montevideo on April 12 took eight of the Denmark residents to Melbourne. They will spend another week quarantined in a Melbourne hotel before returning to WA, while Mrs Paget and her husband Graham remain in South America. It is understood the couple are separate from one another, with Mr Paget being quarantined in a Montevideo hotel. The Greg Mortimer originally departed the southern Argentinian city of Ushuaia on March 15 for a 21-day cruise to Antarctica. Passengers who did not want the cruise to go ahead were reportedly refused refunds for tickets which cost more than $50,000 per couple. A week later, the ship abandoned its voyage after someone aboard developed a fever. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne praised her Uruguayan counterpart, Ernesto Talvi, for helping get 96 Australian passengers back on home soil. “Uruguay’s pragmatic and compassionate approach has helped us bring about a solution for these passengers, including those who have had to be hospitalised,” she said.