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SINGAPORE – The Covid-19 case detected on a cruise ship to nowhere illustrates the importance of having protocols in place to quickly contact, trace and isolate close contacts, said Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing.
“We have implemented the necessary protocols to make sure we can make sure and assure the public that something like this can be handled,” he told reporters on Wednesday (December 9).
The minister’s comments come after Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas cruise ship had to return on the third day of a four-day cruise to nowhere after an 83-year-old Singaporean passenger tested positive for the coronavirus.
Various agencies are now taking steps to contact, track and monitor passengers who came into contact with the patient, Chan said.
He spoke to reporters during a visit to the Siemens Advanced Manufacturing Transformation Center in Tuas, where he met with students from the additive manufacturing training course under the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Program.
The Covid-19 case on the cruise ship was not unexpected, he said. “We have always assumed that one day something might happen.”
By resuming economic activities, Singapore adopts a strategy of risk management rather than risk elimination, he added.
“Because a risk elimination strategy – zero risk – means doing nothing,” Chan said.
“And that would not be consistent with our overall strategy. Therefore, we must learn to deal with those things efficiently and effectively to provide security for our people.”
The ship has isolated all guests and crew who had close contact with the host. All tested negative for the coronavirus, said Singapore Tourism Board (STB) cruise director Annie Chang.
The remaining passengers and crew will remain on board in their rooms until the contact tracing is complete, Ms Chang added.
All will undergo mandatory Covid-19 testing before leaving the cruise terminal.
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