Passenger who tested positive on Singapore’s ‘cruise to nowhere’ returns with a negative test

SINGAPORE — The Singaporean passenger who tested positive for Covid-19 onboard a cruise ship has subsequently tested negative for the disease, according to Singapore’s health ministry.

The passenger, an 83-year-old man, was aboard Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas that set sail on Dec. 7 for a round trip to the city-state with no port of call in between. The ship was forced to return on Wednesday, a day earlier than scheduled, after the passenger went through a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test on the cruise liner which returned positive for Covid-19.

PCR tests have been used widely to detect cases as they are accurate in their diagnosis, but results take hours to return.

“His original sample has since been re-tested at the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), and has come back negative for (Covid-19) infection. A second fresh sample tested by NPHL has also come back negative,” the Ministry of Health said Wednesday night.

“NPHL will conduct another test tomorrow to confirm his (Covid-19) status,” the statement said.

The passenger was taken to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases at 2:30 p.m. Singapore time on Wednesday, according to the Singapore Tourism Board.

The tourism board added that all 1,680 passengers and 1,148 crew on board had tested negative for the virus prior to the ship’s departure. Passengers and crew members who came into close contact with the affected individual were isolated, while other passengers underwent mandatory testing before being allowed to leave the Marina Bay Cruise Centre, where the ship is docked.

In a separate statement, Royal Caribbean said its entire crew will undergo PCR tests on Thursday, while the ship will be deep cleaned and disinfected.

A 4-night cruise that was scheduled to depart Thursday was canceled, the cruise operator said.

The coronavirus pandemic has hammered the global travel and tourism sectors this year, including the cruise industry.

Singapore’s “cruise to nowhere” program is an attempt to bolster travel demand in the middle of the pandemic. To participate, cruise liners have to obtain a mandatory safety certification and will be subjected to an audit before they are allowed to commence sailing.

Only two operators, the Royal Caribbean and Genting Cruise Lines, are sailing from Singapore under this program.