S’pore Cruise Returns After a Passenger Tested Positive for COVID-19

After getting knocked out by the Covid-19 pandemic, the travel industry is slowly getting back on its feet, though still dazed and unsteady.

Travel bubbles have had to be postponed, and leisure travel seems like it’ll be out of reach for quite some time.

In the meantime, some people are taking cruises to nowhere to satisfy their “wanderlust”, as they keep saying on Instagram.

With all the safety precautions taken by the authorities for these cruises, it seems impossible that someone would test positive on board.

But that’s exactly what happened. 

S’pore Cruise Returns After a Passenger Tested Positive for COVID-19

Royal Caribbean cruise ship Quantum of the Seas had to return to Singapore earlier than scheduled after a passenger on board tested positive for Covid-19.

The cruise to nowhere was supposed to be a four-day trip, but turned back on Wednesday (9 Dec) – its third day – due to the infection.

According to The Straits Times, the ship’s captain made an announcement at about 2.45am informing passengers to remain in their rooms, and said the ship would arrive in Singapore by about 8am.

And if a ship’s captain is making an announcement at 2.45am, it’s probably not to comment on the lovely weather.

And indeed, it wasn’t.

Once they arrived, he informed them that a guest was feeling unwell and had tested positive for Covid-19.

The captain added that they immediately isolated the guest, quarantined the passenger’s family, and carried out contact tracing.

He assured guests that they were safe, and that there were measures in place to safeguard their health, safety, and comfort.

STB’s Response

In response to the incident, Mrs Annie Chang, director of cruise at the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), confirmed that a passenger on board Royal Carribean’s Quantum of the Seas had tested positive for Covid-19.

“Emergency response plans have been activated according to guidelines including immediate isolation of close contacts, contact tracing and deep-cleaning of the ship,” she said.

Fortunately, all the guest’s close contacts have tested negative for the virus.

“The well-being and safety of our local community, as well as passengers and crew remain a top priority”, Mrs Chang said.

Safety Measures

Last week, Royal Caribbean resumed three- and four-night Ocean Getaway cruises as part of the “cruises to nowhere” programme which was approved by STB in October.

As you know, cruise ships have not been allowed to call here since 13 March, due to fears that these ships could form large Covid-19 clusters.

These fears were not unfounded; over 700 passengers on the Diamond Princess, a ship that set sail from Yokohama (near Tokyo) in February, ended up getting infected, leading to 6 deaths.

For this reason, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) reportedly hired DNV GL Singapore – a risk management company – to create a safety framework for these cruises.

Now, cruises need to be certified for compliance with this framework before setting sail.

These safety measures include:

• strict and frequent cleaning and sanitisation of ships
• mandatory Covid-19 tests prior to boarding
• implementation of safe management measures – mask-wearing and safe distancing of 1m between groups of passengers
• ensuring 100% fresh air throughout the ship and that there’s no recirculation of air
• operating at 50% capacity to allow for safe distancing
• introducing onboard measures to discourage close contact and intermingling between groups of passengers
• emergency response plans for incidents relating to Covid-19

These cruises to nowhere will also be subject to regular inspections.

So, if you’ve booked a cruise to nowhere, there’s no need to panic. The authorities have prepared for such a situation, and have safety protocols in place to protect guests.

Featured Image: Igor Grochev / Shutterstock.com