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Pilot scheme for safe cruises to continue, after ‘swift and robust’ response to suspected Covid-19 case

SINGAPORE — Shortly after it was confirmed that a cruise passenger had a false positive test result for Covid-19 and is not infected by the coronavirus, the Singapore Tourism Board said on Thursday (Dec 10) that its pilot for safe cruises will continue as planned.

Singapore Tourism Board’s chief executive officer Keith Tan commended the cruise and terminal operators that handled the suspected Covid-19 case on board a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Singapore Tourism Board’s chief executive officer Keith Tan commended the cruise and terminal operators that handled the suspected Covid-19 case on board a Royal Caribbean cruise.

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SINGAPORE — Shortly after it was confirmed that a cruise passenger had a false positive test result for Covid-19 and is not infected by the coronavirus, the Singapore Tourism Board said on Thursday (Dec 10) that its pilot scheme for safe cruises will continue as planned.

This is due to the “swift and robust” response to the suspected Covid-19 case on board Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas cruise liner on Wednesday, it added.

STB’s chief executive officer Keith Tan commended the cruise line and its terminal operator Sats-Creuers for the timely execution of emergency protocols.

In a media statement, he also thanked cruise operator Genting Cruise Lines, which supported the operations by embarking their passengers early. This was to prevent any intermingling between any passengers or crew from both ships docked at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre.

“Their professionalism gives us confidence that our pilot cruises will continue to be safe and sustainable, as we work with our partners and cruise lines to chart a new course for safe cruising,” Mr Tan said.

Quantum of the Seas returned to the Marina Bay Cruise Centre with 1,680 passengers and 1,148 crew on Wednesday morning, after an 83-year-old Singaporean man tested positive for Covid-19 based on the ship’s onboard testing procedures. He went to seek medical treatment when he had diarrhoea.

The ship was forced to return from its “cruise to nowhere” 24 hours ahead of schedule and passengers were told to remain in their room until contract tracing by the authorities has been completed. They disembarked only later at night.

The Ministry of Health later confirmed, after follow-up tests at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, that the suspected case does not have the virus.

Royal Caribbean on Wednesday evening decided to cancel its Quantum of the Seas cruise on Thursday "in an overabundance of caution" and said that it would resume sailings on Dec 14.

The firm added that it would provide customers a full refund, as well as a 25 per cent credit to use on a future cruise.

Genting Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International were given the green light to offer round trips with no ports of call as part of a pilot scheme announced by STB in October.

The cruises must meet the requirements under the Government’s mandatory CruiseSafe certification programme and implement precautionary measures such as mandatory Covid-19 testing and reduced sailing capacity.

Mr Tan of STB said that safety remains the top priority and the incident on Wednesday has provided valuable learning points for future sailings, such as the importance of using the TraceTogether digital system for effective contact tracing.

“It has also given assurance that our established response to any future Covid-19 case is swift and effective,” he added.

In response to the pilot scheme resuming, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson said: “We welcome this news and we wish our guest a speedy return to health.

“We appreciate the guidance of the Government and we will continue to work with them to refine our protocols, which are designed to protect the health and safety of our guests, crew and the Singapore community.” 

Related topics

cruise STB Royal Caribbean Genting Cruise Lines Covid-19

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