On December 9, a passenger on the Ocean Quantum, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean International Cruise Line, which was sailing for four days of “unattention” by Singapore, was diagnosed with COVID-19, and the cruise ship returned to Singapore one day in advance.
Singapore media reported that the cruise ship Ocean Quantum broadcast at 2:45 a.m. on the same day, instructing passengers to stay in their rooms and saying that the cruise ship would return to Singapore at about 8 a.m. that day.
Subsequently, the cabin broadcast notified all passengers of the diagnosis of COVID-19.
On the same day, Singapore Tourism Board issued an announcement that an 83-year-old male passenger was diagnosed on the Ocean Quantum cruise ship. He was tested for COVID-19 due to diarrhea symptoms.
The announcement said that the passengers had undergone a round of tests before boarding the ship, and the results were negative at that time. According to the procedure, the patient was immediately quarantined, and the crew later confirmed the person who had close contact with the patient and arranged for them to be quarantined.
Close contacts were immediately tested, and the test results are currently negative. It is understood that passengers who have not had close contact with the confirmed patient can get off the ship normally without isolation, but at present, all tourists and crew members are still on board.
On the same day, Singapore’s Minister of Trade and Industry Chen Zhensheng also responded that the confirmed cases on the cruise ship were not unexpected.
When the Singapore government allowed the cruise ship to resume sailing on a trial basis, it envisaged that this might happen. Singapore has always adopted a risk management strategy when it resumes economic activity, rather than doing nothing to ensure zero risk.
At the end of October, the Singapore government announced that it would allow Royal Caribbean Group’s “Ocean Quantum” cruise ship and Genting Group’s “World Dream” cruise ship to resume sailing one after another from November 6, but the cruise ship can only travel “undirectly”.
Since Singapore, it cannot call at other ports, and return directly to the new after completing the trip.
Gapo All cruise ship passengers are required to be tested for COVID-19 before boarding the ship, and strict epidemic prevention measures are also required to be observed on board.
