A 40-year old passenger was confirmed to be positive for COVID-19 onboard Dream Cruises World Dream this week. Despite the strict measures, the cruise lines in Singapore operate under, the guest was found to be positive during the 3-night voyage from Singapore’s Marina Bay Cruise Terminal.
The case comes as more and more cruise ships are operating. With the increase of ships sailing, the likelihood of confirmed cases onboard is growing as well. Testing was done soon after it became known the guest was a close contact with a person ashore who was confirmed positive.
The quick actioning from Dream Cruises speaks volumes about the great job the cruise lines are doing in keeping everyone safe on board. Guests have left the vessel now after being isolated in their cabins for several hours.
Tested Negative On Pre-Cruise Testing
Dream Cruises has been operating World Dream in Singapore since November of last year. The passenger who was found to be positive marks the first occurrence of COVID-19 onboard since then. More than 100,000 guests sailed onboard World Dream and Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas between November 2020 and March of this year in Singapore, a number which is significantly higher now.
Dream Cruises tested the 40-year old passenger before stepping onboard the ship and found to be negative at the time. Once the vessel received news that the passenger was a known close contact with a confirmed case ashore, the passenger was isolated and tested again. This test came back positive.
Due to the strict measures the vessels have to operate under in Singapore, all guests were confined to their cabins as the vessel returned to port. According to Reuters, The Singapore Tourism Board said this following the detection of the suspected case:
“The passenger was identified as a close contact of a confirmed case on land, and was immediately isolated as part of onboard health protocols. The infected passenger’s three travelling companions tested negative and were isolated while further contact tracing was being done. Close contacts will be quarantined.”
Cruises to Nowhere
Singapore has allowed cruises to take place around the city-state for eight months now, and this is the first time a positive case has happened onboard. Something that also surprised one of the guests onboard, Rishi Lalwani:
“The COVID situation in Singapore seemed largely contained so, yes, a case in a cruise of 1,700 guests seemed a bit rare to happen. Especially because there haven’t been cases on cruises to nowhere for months,”
In December of this year, guests were confined to their cabins onboard Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas for half a day following a suspected case onboard, which proved to be negative.
The cruises from the world-famous Marina Bay Cruise Terminal are available to Singapore residents only who have to go through a strict testing regimen before they are allowed on board. While on the vessel, the cruise lines have adopted social distancing, mask-wearing, and increased sanitation practices to keep everyone safe.
The guests onboard World Dream disembarked the vessel late Wednesday night after being confined to their stateroom.
