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AN ELDERLY PASSENGER on board a Royal Caribbean “cruise to nowhere” has been diagnosed with Covid-19, prompting the voyage to be cut short as the vessel returned to Singapore.
The 83-year-old man on board the Quantum of the Seas tested positive after reporting to the ship’s medical centre with diarrhoea, said Annie Chang, director of cruise at Singapore’s Tourism Board.
He had tested negative before boarding, she said.
“The passenger was immediately isolated and his initial close contacts were identified and isolated,” she said in a statement, adding that the close contacts have since tested negative.
Singapore recently began a “safe cruising” pilot programme allowing cruise ships to make round trips to Singapore with no port of call in between.
Strict safety measures were imposed, including reducing capacity by half and pre-boarding testing for passengers. Royal Caribbean is one of two operators licensed to run such trips.
Chang said all leisure activities on board the Quantum of the Seas had ceased immediately and passengers and crew were asked to stay in their cabins until contact tracing is completed.
She added that all those on board would undergo mandatory Covid-19 testing before leaving the terminal.
“They are being given regular updates and meals are provided directly to their rooms,” she said.
The wellbeing and safety of our local community, as well as passengers and crew remain a top priority.
The Singapore Straits Times reported that the vessel, which is carrying 1,680 guests and 1,148 crew members, returned on the third day of a four-day trip.
Royal Caribbean said in a statement that it had worked with the Singapore government to develop a thorough testing and monitoring system.
“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,” it added.
Singapore, a small but wealthy city-state in Southeast Asia, has reported 58,285 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, with 29 deaths.
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Why is the name of jaysus would anyone get on a cruise ship during a pandemic. This is Darwin awards in progress
@Dawn Harvey: Life is largely back to normal in lots of places around the world. Just because it’s not here, doesnt mean everyone is in the same boat
@Dave Harris: and everyone tested negative prior to boarding. Looks like the cruise company did everything right but the virus still managed to win in the end.
@Dave Harris: doesn’t matter. Only takes one person infected on that ship to turn the entire cruise sour.
It’s completely irresponsible and too much of a risk when the globe is peaking in terms of new cases.
Mental choice to allow something like this to go ahead and you’d be even more of a lunatic to get on the ship in the first place
@Tom: Cruises are completely irresponsible anyway, in 2017 Carnival cruises emitted ten time more sulphur dioxide than all 260 million cars in Europe. Royal Carribean four times more. And that is just one piece of pollution, Channel 4 documentary showed cruise ships dumping their rubbish and sewage into international waters. They’re a shocking polluter in many ways, ban them.
@Dave Harris: no, it’s not normal in other places, despite what people or companies or some heads of government say. Wish it was but it not
@Dave Harris: “ in the same boat”. I see what you did there
@Dave Harris: “ in the same boat”. I see what you did there
@Dave Harris: “ in the same boat”. I see what you did there!
@Dave Harris: Eh …tell me a few places where life is back to normal around the world that would warrant shipping 1000′s of vectors in and out of.
@Joe campbell: And I see what you did what you did what you did.
@Dawn Harvey: Because its Singapore, and they have had their act together on the virus since September. They have only had 57 cases total in the past week. I think they felt it was safe to have a reduced capacity cruise that doesn’t visit any other ports than its own. Southeast Asian nations have largely dealt with the virus well, so they can start pondering about larger scale events we could only dream of like marathons, concerts and cruises.
@Brendan Cooney: My friends in Vietnam would say otherwise, despite having their first case of community transmission in 3 months last week. That will go away very quickly over there. They are flying down to the islands for Christmas to a festival with no issues.
@TheHeathen: i like that post,,,,,
@Dave Harris: a lot of what’s wrong in the world appear to be in that same boat there
@Dawn Harvey: The level of sanitation protocols on a ship are second to none. Now, they have the technology to know where you are at all times in a ship it will help greatly with contract tracing and who to test first of all. To make cruising or crowded situations work in the future we need things like this to happen so we can act, adapt and learn. Life has to go on, no test is 100% there will always be a failure rate but we need to find ways to work around this to go back living. I would feel comfortable on a ship right now with all the changes they have made. Safer than if I was stuck in a crowded Q in Tesco on a Saturday afternoon.
@TheHeathen: the last cruise that I was on we had for recycling facilities onboard when we were docked in January you could see the rubbish and recycling being taken from the ship I highly doubt practices like that go on anymore.
@Dawn Harvey: Says the person with no clue about how the cruise is being operated.
@Dawn Harvey: correction over 100,000 sailed safely since August over 10 different cruise lines
https://www.facebook.com/1042135805904353/posts/3441189622665614/
I really dislike how this reports at the end that Singapore has 58’000 cases. What the report conveniently leaves out is that these large case numbers in Singapore have largely petered off since August. Cases in Singapore have been at less than 20 a day since the end of September, with many consecutive days in single digits. So posting an article about taking a cruise in Singapore and a case happens on board sparks a big reaction from countries that haven’t dealt with the virus well going “What did they expect?!”. Reactionary journalism not seen unless you visit Dublin Live.
@Paul Cunningham: What is your point though?
@Misty Eyed Mutton: Half rant, half observation that the media love to drag other countries Covid handling down to their level of doom and gloom.
You know what would be really safe during a pandemic …sailing a giant hop on hop off incubator full of people around the planet!
@Panikin skywalker: Read the article. They weren’t doing that at all.
@Panikin skywalker: MSC Cruise lines has been sailing in the Mediterranean on the Grandiosa ship since the 29th of August, over 30,000 people have travelled with them with no incidents they have extremely strict protocols on board.
It can be done.
@Fi Wyse: Facts are not welcome in the journal comments section. It takes away from the ill considered hysteria posts like Panicking above.
@P Mc G: I know silly me!
@Panikin skywalker: correction over 100,000 sailed safely since August over 10 different cruise lines
https://www.facebook.com/1042135805904353/posts/3441189622665614/
Beggars belief why people would be ok doing this in the middle of another wave. Of all things to do!!!!!!!!!
@Ciaran Farrelly: MSC Cruise lines has been sailing in the Mediterranean on the Grandiosa ship since the 29th of August, over 30,000 people have travelled with them with no incidents they have extremely strict protocols on board.
It can be done.
It has been revealed that the individual who was immediately quarantined, with all his close contacts testing negative (possible due to the further improved onboard facilities and the new tracelet wristband) has now tested negative in two different tests! individual will be tested a third time…. just to be sure!!
2 tests for each passenger in the 72 hours before boarding ( 1 up to 72 hours prior and 1 while boarding)
Constant monitoring of passengers with mask wearing, social distancing and even further enhanced cleaning & sanitisation measures. Immediate quarantine of suspected case. Immediate testing of all close contacts.Early termination of cruise.All passengers will be assisted home and will have a test in 14 days paid for by Royal. Cancellation of next cruise as a precaution
The level of sanitation protocols on a ship are second to none. Now, they have the technology to know where you are at all times in a ship it will help greatly with contract tracing and who to test first of all. To make cruising or crowded situations work in the future we need things like this to happen so we can act, adapt and learn. Life has to go on, no test is 100% there will always be a failure rate but we need to find ways to work around this to go back living. I would feel comfortable on a ship right now with all the changes they have made. Safer than if I was stuck in a crowded Q in Tesco on a Saturday afternoon.
At least they did the right thing quickly and prevented more people from being infected.
This link will provide more factual insight onto what protocols are on the ships etc.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3438644582920118&id=1042135805904353
Its terrible news.
False hype as usual. No positive case confirmed. All the safety protocols implemented by the company were successful. A lot safer than the 5,000+ people per day streaming in and out of your local shops and supermarkets with no testing.
correction over 100,000 sailed safely since August over 10 different cruise lines
https://www.facebook.com/1042135805904353/posts/3441189622665614/
FFS
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