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An 83-year-old Royal Caribbean cruise ship announced Wednesday coronavirus was detected. The Quantum of the Seas left the port of Singapore on December 7. After going around the circle, he had to return to the same port after a few days without stopping, but after a positive COVID-19 test for the passenger, he sailed home the day before.
All passengers on board underwent regular PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing for COVID-19.
“The original individual sample was retested at the Public Health Laboratory and returned with a negative response for COVID-19 infection. A new sample was taken, and the answer was also negative, “the Singapore Ministry of Health said at night.
Another test is scheduled for Thursday to definitively confirm whether the person is infected with the coronavirus or not.
The ship was carrying 1,680 passengers and 1,148 crew members. All of his PCR tests before the boat trip were negative. Passengers and crew members who had close contact with the 83-year-old man were isolated. Other passengers were subjected to further testing and were only allowed to disembark after receiving negative responses.
Royal Caribbean said it would retest its entire crew on Thursday and that the ship was thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
A new cruise was supposed to take place on Thursday, but it was canceled.
This “false positive” response to the COVID-19 test, which caused confusion on the cruise ship, is not the first. October wrote about it Greek cruise ship fiasco exposed COVID-19 testing problem.
What are those cruises “to nowhere”
After stopping travel, Singapore conducted test cruises. The cruise departs from Singapore, stops nowhere and returns to the same port.
The “Nowhere” cruises are offered as an idea for people thirsty to travel. At the same time, it is an opportunity to generate at least some revenue for cruise companies that are not allowed to operate international passenger travel. Only Singaporeans can embark on this cruise.
There are many hand sanitizers on ships and masks are a must everywhere, even in swimming pools. They all use special devices that allow them to quickly trace contacts.
Quantum of the Seas also has a hospital with lung ventilators on board. To ensure safe distances, half the people navigate the boat as best they can. Fresh air is pumped into the boat through powerful air conditioning systems.
The non-Singaporean crew members spent 14 days in solitary confinement in their home country, followed by a further 14 days in Singapore. Only then were they allowed to board the ship.
Read more about the measures taken on these vessels here: What does a “nowhere” cruise look like: party queues and mandatory contact tracking devices?.
The cruise industry was hit hard at the beginning of the pandemic when some of the biggest outbreaks were recorded in them.
With the cruise announcement “nowhere,” demand for tickets in October was up to six times higher than the company’s usual this month, representatives for Roayal Caribbean told the New York Times.
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