Update: Royal Caribbean guests prepare to disembark after infected passenger taken to hospital
A luxury Royal Caribbean cruise is returning to Singapore earlier than scheduled after a passenger caught the coronavirus.
The four-day cruise to nowhere was cut short a day when a passenger tested positive this morning for COVID-19 aboard the Quantum of the Seas liner which is now steaming back to shore. Passengers were isolated before dawn, and any who came into close contact with the infected guests has reportedly tested negative for the virus.
“One guest aboard the Quantum of the Seas tested positive for coronavirus after checking in with our medical team. We identified and isolated all guests and crew who had close contact with this guest, and each of those individuals have subsequently tested negative for the virus,” the cruise line said in a statement.
Guests are only allowed to leave the ship when a review of contact tracing is completed, it added.
Passengers at the balconies of the Royal Caribbean’s #QuantumoftheSeas cruise ship now docked at Singapore’s Marina Bay Cruise Centre after a passenger tested positive for #COVID19 https://t.co/ogxkG28ewV pic.twitter.com/SmNMFyISmS
— Coconuts Singapore (@CoconutsSG) December 9, 2020
It’s a blow to the beleaguered cruise industry which was all but shuttered after massive outbreaks took place aboard vessels in the early months of the pandemic.
Royal Caribbean had only started sailing again this month after getting a green light in October. The vessel was supposed to do laps around the city-state while guests enjoyed its water theme park or took part in activities like simulated sky-diving and a glass observation platform.
The cruise line said it is working with the government to “protect the health and safety of our guests and crew” and safety protocols were working as intended.
There didn’t seem to be panic aboard. Passenger Marissa Sum wrote on Instagram that despite the unexpected development, she was “at peace with what has happened.” Marissa said the captain broke the news at 3am.
Another named Yann Yang appeared satisfied that everything was “under control,” including in his post a notice from the Ministry of Health that included details on what monitoring and testing to expect after disembarkation.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
“We worked closely with the government to develop a thorough system that tests and monitors all guests and crew and follows public health best practices. That we were able to quickly identify this single case and take immediate action is a sign that the system is working as it was designed to do,” the cruise line said.
The Quantum of the Seas has a maximum capacity of 2,000 passengers. Cutting ship capacity by half for the first three months of operation was among the requirements to resume operations.
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