Mr Londero said he started to feel unwell with "a bit of a sore throat that came on gradually" in the days before the ship's return. "Then I started to get other symptoms, I started to get muscular and back pain," he told the Herald from his home in north-western NSW. The Ruby Princess docked in Port Kembla on Monday. Credit:Nick Moir He has no idea how he contracted the virus. Having kept an eye on the news, particularly the horrific statistics emerging daily from Italy, Mr Londero, his wife and their friends made the decision to self isolate on board. "I started to feel unwell and started to feel there was something to be very concerned about."

Loading Three days before it was due to dock in Sydney, the ship's captain notified all passengers that anyone feeling unwell was to report to the ship's hospital staffed by four nurses and at least two doctors. "When I came to the ship's hospital, they thought I was having a heart attack – because of the virus causing stress on my heart," Mr Londero said, describing the level of care as excellent. "They never mentioned coronavirus, I thought it was something else." Mr Londero says he remained in isolation in the ship's hospital with one other woman, who has since died, until he was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Leaked emails show that NSW Health cleared the disembarkation, despite the results of tests taken on the ship for coronavirus only being hours away.

"I still believed I didn't have it, because my lungs were clear and I was worried about being put in with all these sick people, these coronavirus people. "I said in the emergency department I think I'm OK, I don't want to be admitted. "Then I had a seizure." After being admitted, the part-time mining worker was transferred to the hospital's Intensive Care Unit.

"When they said I was positive, it was a bit of a relief because I knew what was wrong with me," he said. I can’t breathe properly Passengers and crew members are not the only people who have been affected by the Ruby Princess outbreak. Rideshare driver Julie Lamrock tested positive for coronavirus, just days after taking a Ruby Princess passenger on the one-hour drive home to Campbelltown from the Overseas Passenger Terminal. Ms Lamrock said she was initially hesitant to take the job, but was reassured by the woman there had been no COVID-19 infections on the ship.

“She said to me there were no reports of anyone being sick on the ship, that everyone was fine. She had letters on her saying everything was OK,” Ms Lamrock said. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Speaking to Nine News from her bed at Nepean Hospital, she was furious people were allowed to disembark the ship. “It’s incredible that the government let them come off that ship and let other people get sick like me, who had no reason to be sick,” Ms Lamrock said. “I can’t breathe properly, I’m having the hot sweats. After picking her up and taking her home, looking after her, and then now I’m sick in hospital - I nearly died.”

After his stay at Royal Prince Alfred, Mr Londero was released to a "virtual hospital" in a Sydney motel with his wife, who also contracted the disease but did not suffer such severe symptoms. As the debate over who was responsible for letting the ship's passengers off into the community rages, Mr Londero said he too wants answers. "I would like to know how I got sick so quick. All I know is I got very ill very quickly and I don't know how I got it," he said, adding the medical workers both on board and in the hospital were "angels" who he cannot thank enough. He has yet to be contacted by police, he said. "Whatever you do, stay home, stay clean and isolate yourself because this is a terrible thing.