Royal Caribbean cruise passenger who tested positive for COVID-19 taken to hospital; other passengers to remain on board

SINGAPORE: An 83-year-old passenger who tested positive for COVID-19 on board Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas cruise has been taken to the hospital for "further testing", the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said on Wednesday afternoon (Dec 9). 

The passenger's polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test sample would be retested at the National Public Health Laboratory and a second sample would be taken for "confirmatory tests", said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a separate press release.

"If further tests also come back positive for COVID-19 infection, he will be included as a case in our daily case count," said MOH.

The 1,680 passengers and 1,148 crew members on board the Quantum of the Seas cruise all tested negative for COVID-19 before the ship set sail on Monday, said Ms Annie Chang, STB's director for cruise development.

"As part of existing infection control protocols, the remaining passengers and crew on board will remain on the ship until contact tracing is completed," added Ms Chang.

READ: Passenger on Royal Caribbean cruise tests positive for COVID-19, ship returns to Singapore

They will have to remain on the ship until Genting Cruise Line's World Dream cruise completes embarking all passengers for its next sailing. This is to prevent any intermingling between any passengers and crew from both ships, added Ms Chang.

World Dream arrived at Marina Bay Cruise Centre this morning and is expected to complete embarking all passengers at about 6pm. 

"Passengers on board Quantum of the Seas will continue to be given regular updates and amenities to make their stay more comfortable," said Ms Chang.

Passengers will undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing before leaving the terminal as part of regular post-arrival protocols, she said.

As a precautionary measure, they 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.

"Close contacts of the positive case who are identified and tested negative for COVID-19 will be sent to a designated government quarantine facility," Ms Chang said.

READ: 'Definitely I’ll go again' - Some Royal Caribbean passengers say no regrets going on cruise that was cut short by COVID-19 case

83-YEAR-OLD PASSENGER TESTED POSITIVE

The Quantum of the Seas ship returned to Singapore on Wednesday, a day ahead of schedule, after a passenger tested positive for COVID-19.

The cruise to nowhere set sail on Monday and was sailing as part of a pilot scheme that allows round-trips with no ports of call.

The 83-year-old Singaporean passenger had reported to the medical centre on board the ship with diarrhoea symptoms and received a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

READ: Royal Caribbean COVID-19 case 'not unexpected', Government prepared for it: Chan Chun Sing

After he tested positive for COVID-19, all on-board leisure activities ceased immediately and passengers were asked to stay in their rooms, Ms Chang said in an earlier update.

The passenger was immediately isolated after testing positive and his initial close contacts were identified and isolated. These close contacts have since tested negative following PCR testing and further contact tracing is ongoing, the tourism board said.

Crew members who had close contact with the passenger were also identified, isolated and subsequently tested negative for COVID-19, Royal Caribbean said in a statement on Wednesday morning.

Royal Caribbean earlier said that Quantum of the Seas was still scheduled to set sail for a cruise on Thursday, and that it was deploying "enhanced sanitation" on board the ship.

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