Cruise ship case shows perils of resuming tourism
3
published : 10 Dec 2020 at 13:39
3 Royal Caribbean s Quantum of the Seas is moored at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre after a passenger was tested positive onboard for the coronavirus disease in Singapore on Wednesday. (Reuters photo)
The optimism on display just two months ago when Singapore Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung pledged to reopen the city-state and its tourism-reliant economy has taken a beating after a possible local coronavirus case was found aboard one of Royal Caribbean Cruise’s ships.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, the 1,680 passengers on
Quantum of the Seas enjoying day three of a four-day cruise to nowhere and 1,148 crew were alerted to an announcement that a suspected case of Covid-19 had been discovered, the voyage was being cut short and everyone should remain in their staterooms.
BusinessWorld
December 10, 2020 | 6:21 pm
THE OPTIMISM on display just two months ago when Singapore Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung pledged to reopen the city-state and its tourism-reliant economy has taken a beating after a possible local coronavirus case was found aboard one of Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd.’s ships.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, the 1,680 passengers on Quantum of the Seas enjoying day three of a four-day cruise to nowhere and 1,148 crew were alerted to an announcement that a suspected case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had been discovered, the voyage was being cut short and everyone should remain in their staterooms.
An 83-year-old Singaporean passenger aboard a cruise to nowhere has re-tested negative for COVID-19 after a false positive halted the voyage, Singapore s Ministry of Health said.
The man had initially tested positive for the virus while aboard the Quantum of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean International.
That test has now been deemed negative, Singaporean authorities said in a statement on Thursday.
READ MORE:
The Quantum of the Seas cruise ship is docked at the Marina Bay Cruise Center after officials said an elderly passenger returned a false positive test. (AP)
The ship was hosting a three-night, four-day cruise to nowhere itinerary around Singapore, as part of a program to reinvigorate domestic travel in Singapore amid the pandemic.
The 83-year-old passenger was given a test as a precaution after he sought medical help for diarrhea. He tested positive but results came back negative three times when he got to Singapore.