A Royal Caribbean Cruise ship turned back to the port in Singapore after a passenger onboard tested positive for novel coronavirus. The ‘Cruise to Nowhere’ had journeyed on a three-night, four-day itinerary around Singapore and had departed from the Marina Bay Cruise Centre on December 7 without any docking. The cruise was operated by Quantum of the Seas as a part of the Singapore government’s “safe cruising” scheme to revive the tourism industry, the country’s tourism board had informed in a release in October.
“We identified and isolated all guests and crew who had close contact with this guest, and each of those individuals has subsequently tested negative for the virus,” Quantum of the Seas said in a statement. Further, it informed of a global suspension of the cruise line operation for the guests and crew’s “safety and well-being”. In an interview with CNN, the authorities informed that an 83-year-old elderly passenger on board the ship tested positive and was being attended by the medical team. He reported the symptoms of diarrhea.The cruise launched a return to the port journey after learning about the COVID-19 positive passenger on the ship. While the passengers have been restricted on the ship in isolation, at least 1,679 passengers and 1,148 crew members will be tested for coronavirus and will be allowed to disembark the vessel only if they test negative for the virus. The vessel was operating at 50 percent capacity.
