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After stopping travel, Singapore conducted test cruises. The cruise departs from Singapore, stops nowhere and returns to the same port.
On Wednesday morning, the captain of the ship Quantum of the Seas informed 2,000 passengers that the ship was returning to port the day before and that all passengers were to remain in their cabins.
A few hours later, the captain reported that a passenger had a positive coronavirus test. It turned out to be an 83-year-old person.
“It is important to know that you are safe on board and that we have a good plan to keep you healthy, safe and satisfied,” explained the captain.
The ship, carrying 1,680 guests and 1,148 crew members, arrived in Singapore early Wednesday morning. He had to go back a third of the planned four days of travel, the Straits Times reported.
The Singapore Tourism Board added that all inflight entertainment was stopped and all passengers were asked to be in their cabins.
Passengers and crew members will remain on board until all contacts have been located. All people on board will be able to leave the cruise terminal only after coronavirus tests, the tourism board said.
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 are allowed 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 largest 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.
In a published report, the company said that after a positive coronavirus test result, all passengers and crew members who had close contact with the patient were identified and isolated. All were retested, all were negative.
Roayal Caribbean will refund all money to a passenger diagnosed with COVID-19, writes the Straits Times. Part of the amount will be reimbursed to other passengers.
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