The Quantum of the Seas from Royal Caribbean International is back in Singapore, ending her cruise to nowhere early with one passenger suspected to have tested for COVID-19 aboard the 2014-built ship.
It is just the third cruise for the ship and the brand since restarting operations, with this sailing ending one day early despite operating under strict new health and safety guidelines.
After a night-time announcement by the captain mentioning one suspected case, according to those aboard, all guests were asked to remain in their cabins. Guests can be see on their stateroom balconies in photos taken on Wednesday morning in Singapore by Singapore Cruise Society.
The quarantine procedure is in line with what is expected to happen if cruising were to resume in the United States.
The next steps are unknown with the ship back in Singapore, but all guests will most likely get tested again. Guests onboard were under significant contact tracing protocols and the ship is equipped with onboard testing technology for COVID-19.
After pausing service in March, Royal Caribbean mounted a one-ship comeback in December, sailing short cruises without port calls roundtrip from Singapore. Genting Cruise Lines’ Dream Cruises brand did the same in November, and has so far operated out of Singapore without incident.
The cruises are open to Singapore residents only and are operating well below maximum capacity. For example, Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas can take 4,100 guests at 100 percent occupancy, but only had 1,093 guests on her first sailing.
