Worse, she tried to deny she had any jurisdiction:
Ms Ressler said previously in her career, cruise doctors had “resisted having to isolate people with a cough and people who had mild respiratory illness".
"I've worked with ships for a long time and I understand their internal protocols and I understood they required people to be isolated for influenza like illness, and so that is what I was used to," she said.
Mr Walker also slammed the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District worker for claiming she only had power to ensure the liner was following its own health policy.
“Actually, you could find out whether they were following Australian protocol, and if they did not, deal with them accordingly. That’s simply incorrect,” he said.
“I’m very concerned that you may have tried to mislead me with that answer.”
“It was not my intention commissioner,” Ms Ressler said.
“What I am trying to figure out is what lies behind this image you have just given us of little old NSW and great big cruise companies, which if I may say so sounds both unrealistic and offensive,” he said.
When asked whether the state government policy was deficient, Ms Ressler said “the practice was extremely challenging.”
“What is challenging about suggesting to a ship… they will have to show compliance with a NSW protocol, what’s challenging about that?” Mr Walker asked.
“It’s difficult for me in my role as an epidemiologist, in a local public health district, to insist on the practices of massive cruise ship companies,” she said.
Given the above it is shocking that PM Soctt Morrison thought it right to defend Ms Ressler, and criticise Mr Walker:
"To see her reduced to that, under that aggressive line of questioning, you've got to get the balance right.
"I would hope that Mr Walker would reflect on that."
TO BE READ WITH
Coronavirus
NSW Health official apologises in tearful inquiry testimony
627 words
4 May 2020
NLDLTW
English
© 2020 News Limited. All rights reserved.
A NSW Health official has broken down in tears while apologising for her department’s failures in dealing with the notorious Ruby Princess cruise ship coronavirus bungle.
A NSW Health official has broken down in tears while apologising for her department’s failures in dealing with the notorious Ruby Princess cruise ship coronavirus bungle.
Epidemiologist Kelly-Anne Ressler cried as Commissioner Bret Walker SC questioned why he shouldn’t rule that there had been a “reprehensible shortcoming in NSW Health” over the fiasco.
“All I can say is that I’m very sorry it turned out the way it did. It was not my intention. Myself and my colleagues in the public health unit were working very hard on this,” she said.
“If we could do it again it would be very different.”
Ms Ressler agreed it was “unsatisfactory” that more sick passengers onboard the ship were tested for influenza than were tested for COVID-19. She said she was not aware of any discussions within NSW Health about the lower rate of coronavirus tests.
“Until you raised it with me now I wasn’t aware that it was so unsatisfactory,” she told Mr Walker.
“It appears to have been routine that on these cruises more people would be tested for influenza than were tested for COVID-19. I don’t understand how that fits within the protocols,” Mr Walker said.
“The purpose this protocol had to protect the Australian community against future contagion doesn’t sound very difficult or complicated in its principles… and yet seems most imperfectly not to have been observed, is that correct?”
“Yes,” Ms Ressler said.
A key aspect of Ms Ressler’s evidence involved questions about whether doctors on the Ruby Princess had ensured passengers went into isolation after developing either respiratory illness or fever.
Ms Ressler said previously in her career, cruise doctors had “resisted having to isolate people with a cough and people who had mild respiratory illness".
"I've worked with ships for a long time and I understand their internal protocols and I understood they required people to be isolated for influenza like illness, and so that is what I was used to," she said.
Mr Walker also slammed the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District worker for claiming she only had power to ensure the liner was following its own health policy.
“Actually, you could find out whether they were following Australian protocol, and if they did not, deal with them accordingly. That’s simply incorrect,” he said.
“I’m very concerned that you may have tried to mislead me with that answer.”
“It was not my intention commissioner,” Ms Ressler said.
“What I am trying to figure out is what lies behind this image you have just given us of little old NSW and great big cruise companies, which if I may say so sounds both unrealistic and offensive,” he said.
When asked whether the state government policy was deficient, Ms Ressler said “the practice was extremely challenging.”
“What is challenging about suggesting to a ship… they will have to show compliance with a NSW protocol, what’s challenging about that?” Mr Walker asked.
“It’s difficult for me in my role as an epidemiologist, in a local public health district, to insist on the practices of massive cruise ship companies,” she said.
Ms Ressler agreed that the requirement for guests to isolate on board only if they had both respiratory illnesses and fevers would have been calculated to reduce the number of passengers having to stay in their cabins, adding it was a barrier to reporting symptoms.
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