Royal Caribbean International’s iconic cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, was forced to return to port in Singapore on December 9, after it was discovered that an elderly passenger had tested positive for COVID-19.
The Quantum of the Seas cruise ship was hosting its three-night, four-day ‘cruise to nowhere’, which kicked off on December 7. The cruise to nowhere initiative is part of a larger program to try and revive the hard-hit cruise industry and is only available to residents of Singapore.
Shortly after departing on Monday, the ship was forced to return to port after an 83-year-old guest had notified ship personnel that he was experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, including diarrhea, according to reports from CNN Travel.
Once the guest, who has not been named, tested positive for COVID-19 staff aboard the Quantum of the Seas quickly informed Singaporean officials about the situation. All guests aboard the cruise were told not to disembark from the ship or leave their cabins until thorough contact tracing measures had been carried out.
‘In line with the existing emergency response plans for pilot cruises, contact tracing began immediately after the positive test result, and all onboard leisure activities ceased. Passengers were also asked to remain in their rooms, while close contacts of the suspected case were identified and isolated,’ explained the Singapore Tourism Board in a statement.
The infected passenger has since been taken to a hospital where he is being monitored. The remaining 1,679 passengers and 1,148 crew members were also tested for the virus, even if they were not in direct contact with the 83-year-old man.
There is good news to this unfortunate incident though, as the Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas began disembarking all passengers at 7.30 pm on December 9, with the disembarkation process expected to be completed in the early hours of December 10.
‘As a further precautionary measure, passengers are also required to monitor their health for 14 days from the date of disembarkation and undergo a swab test at a designated government swabbing facility at the end of the monitoring period,’ the Singapore Tourism Board said in a statement.
Picture: Twitter/@warewinter1
