Royal Caribbean "cruise to nowhere" virus scare turns out to be false alarm
A coronavirus scare that cut short a Royal Caribbean "cruise to nowhere" off Singapore was a false alarm, officials said Thursday, after fresh tests on a passenger came back negative.
The voyages -- starting and ending at the city-state with no stops -- began last month, marking a resumption of cruises after a months-long hiatus due to the pandemic.
But a liner carrying 1,680 guests and 1,148 crew had to turn back to port Wednesday, day three of a scheduled four-day cruise, after an 83-year-old man tested positive at an on-board clinic.
The man was taken to hospital, while passengers and crew were stuck in their cabins for hours until contact tracing was completed and they were allowed to disembark in the evening.
But the health ministry said that a third and final test on the Quantum of the Seas passenger on Thursday confirmed he hadn't been infected.
"We have rescinded the quarantine orders of his close contacts, who had earlier been placed on quarantine as a precautionary measure while investigations were ongoing," the ministry said.
The Singapore tourism board said the pilot "cruise to nowhere" sailings aimed at reviving the hard-hit tourism sector will continue, and praised the swift response to the incident.
The cruises have been a hit in tiny and affluent Singapore, which has suffered only a mild outbreak, after people were unable to go on overseas holidays for months due to travel restrictions.
A raft of safety measures had been rolled out to prevent virus outbreaks, such as disinfecting public areas and reducing the number of passengers on board.
But some had warned of the potential for the virus to spread on the liner after several vessels were hit with outbreaks earlier this year.