The ill-fated Ruby Princess cruise ship has arrived in the Philippines but the 214 locals among its crew will have to wait several days before they can disembark. “There are 16 cruise ships anchored right now in Manila Bay,” Commodore Armand Balilo of the Philippine coast guard told the Guardian. “We have to swab all the Filipinos first to see if they’re positive for coronavirus.” The south-east Asian country supplies most of the world’s maritime workers but Covid-19 has forced many to return home. Authorities are working to make sure they don’t carry the virus back to their communities. The queue is long in Manila Bay and test results take up to three days, as the country continues to struggle with its poor testing capability. There are more than 5,000 Filipinos on the 16 cruise ships anchored in the bay, according Balilo. Some 2,000 have been tested and are awaiting their results. The rest are waiting for medical teams to take their samples. Balilo said the Ruby Princess could be given priority: “It’s under evaluation. We might give importance to the ship because of its history.” It has been a long journey for the crew of a ship linked to 21 deaths and almost 700 coronavirus cases. It was the focus of intense criticism in Australia after 2,700 passengers were allowed to freely disembark in Sydney on 19 March, despite some of them showing signs of respiratory illnesses. Two inquiries have now been launched into the disastrous handling of the disembarkation. That’s an error the Philippines is trying to avoid. It’s an onerous task for a country that has been repatriating seafarers since coronavirus halted cruise ship operations. The first batches, who included hundreds of Filipino crew members of the equally notorious Diamond Princess cruise ship, were sent to government quarantine facilities – some of which were Manila hotels – and were isolated for two weeks. Only those who showed symptoms were tested. But the massive number of returning overseas workers overwhelmed hotels in the capital. With more expected home in coming weeks, the government has changed its protocols. The coast guard began swabbing all returning seafarers last week. It sends medical teams onboard the ships to take the samples. When the results come back, people who test positive are taken to government treatment facilities and those who test negative to their home provinces. Balilo said the coast guard had completed testing the crew of four ships, which have left the country. Seven more are expected next week. “What we are doing is critical,” he said. “If one carrier of the disease is able to escape us, he or she could infect more people.” The tests have not always been reliable. Several provinces – including Cebu, Negros Occidental and Aklan – have found coronavirus carriers among the workers the national government turned over to them. The country has recorded more 10,000 cases of coronavirus, including 658 deaths. Most of the country lifted strict lockdowns after 30 April except the capital and a few localities that continue to record a significant number of new cases daily.