A Royal Caribbean ‘cruise to nowhere’ was cut short after an 83-year-old passenger
on board tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, officials said as per an
AFP report.

“One guest
aboard Quantum of the Seas tested positive for coronavirus after checking in
with our medical team,” operator Royal Caribbean said in a statement.

The voyage began last month, marking the continuation of cruises after a months-long halt due to
travel restrictions.

The cruise authority has announced that all the guests and crew members who have come in contact
with the concerned passenger have been identified and isolated.

All the individuals
have subsequently tested negative for the virus after the tests.

The ship was carrying around 1,680 guests and 1,148 crew on board, and arrived early morning
in the city-state after turning back on day three of a four-day ‘cruise to
nowhere,’ the Straits Times newspaper reported.

On-board leisure
activities have also been stopped and passengers were asked to quarantine in
their respective cabins.

Passengers and
crew will remain onboard until contact tracing is complete, and will undergo
mandatory virus tests before leaving the cruise terminal, the board said in a
statement.

The voyage
cancellation amounts to another serious blow to the cruise industry after a
“bubble” allowing travel between Singapore and Hong Kong without
quarantine was delayed indefinitely after the Chinese city reported a spike in
coronavirus cases.