[ad_1]
SINGAPORE: Passengers aboard Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas cruise ship, where a man tested positive for COVID-19, was allowed to disembark the ship about 12 hours after docking on Wednesday morning (December 9).
The ship docked at Marina Bay Cruise Center Singapore at 8 a.m., a day ahead of schedule, after an 83-year-old passenger tested positive for the coronavirus.
CNA observed passengers leaving the ship through a closed gangway shortly before 8 p.m.
Passengers disembarking from Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas ship at the Marina Bay Cruise Center Singapore on December 9, 2020 (Photo: Calvin Oh).
Passengers on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Quantum of the Seas disembark at the Marina Bay Cruise Center Singapore on December 9, 2020 (Photo: Calvin Oh).
In a previous update, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said that the remaining passengers and crew members would remain on the ship until contact tracing was completed, as part of existing infection control protocols.
READ: Royal Caribbean cruise passenger who tested positive for COVID-19 taken to hospital; other passengers to stay on board
STB also said they would have to stay on the ship until Genting Cruise Line’s World Dream cruise ship completed boarding of all passengers for their next voyage. This was to avoid any mixing between the passengers and the crew members of both ships.
A passenger aboard Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Sea on December 9, 2020 at Marina Bay Cruise Center Singapore. (Photo: Calvin Oh)
Passengers aboard Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Sea on December 9, 2020 at Marina Bay Cruise Center Singapore. (Photo: Calvin Oh)
World Dream arrived at Marina Bay Cruise Center on Wednesday morning and left around 6:20 pm.
PASSENGERS TO CHECK HEALTH, PERFORM HISO TEST
Quantum of the Seas set sail on Monday and was sailing as part of a pilot plan that allows round-trip trips without ports of call.
All 1,680 passengers and 1,148 crew members aboard the cruise ship tested negative for COVID-19 before the ship sailed on Monday, STB said.
READ: Royal Caribbean COVID-19 Case ‘Not Unexpected’, Government Prepared For It – Chan Chun Sing
The tourism board said Wednesday afternoon that passengers on the ship would undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing before leaving the terminal as part of regular post-arrival protocols.
As a precautionary measure, they are also required to monitor their health for 14 days from the disembarkation date and undergo a swab test at a government-designated swab facility at the end of the follow-up period.
Close contacts of the positive case who are identified and test negative for COVID-19 will be sent to a designated government quarantine facility.
READ: After the COVID-19 case, the Quantum of the Seas cruise scheduled for December 10 goes ahead: Royal Caribbean
The passenger who tested positive for COVID-19 was taken to the hospital for further tests.
His polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test sample would be retested at the National Public Health Laboratory and a second sample would be taken for “confirmatory testing,” he said. Ministry of Health (MINSA) in a separate press release.
“If other tests are also positive for COVID-19 infection, it will be included as a case in our daily case count,” the MOH said.
Singapore has reported a total of 58,891 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday.
CHECK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
