A passenger onboard Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas ship tested COVID-positive during a Cruise to Nowhere from Singapore (seasonal homeport).
Due to the accident, the liner had to return to homeport on Wednesday, December 9, a day ahead of the schedule.
Quantum OTS resumed 3- and 4-night roundtrips from Singapore (with no call ports along the route) on December 1, 2020.
The 83-year-old male passenger reported to the Infirmary diarrhoea symptoms and underwent a PCR test (polymerase chain reaction test) as part of the onboard protocols.
Prior to boarding on Monday, December 7, all travelers had cleared a mandatory PCR test for COVID-19 up to 3 days earlier.
The cruiser was isolated after testing positive. His initial close contacts were isolated and have since tested negative after PCR testing. Crew who had close contact with the cruiser were also isolated and subsequently tested negative, Royal Caribbean said in a statement.
Leisure activities onboard ceased immediately and all guests were asked to stay in their staterooms. All will undergo mandatory testing before leaving the cruise terminal, as per the regular protocols.
Quantum OTS has upgraded heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, continuously supplying "100 per cent fresh, filtered air" from outside the ship to replace used air on board", Royal Caribbean said.
As part of its new policy, RCI provides "COVID-19 protection" to all bookings, including 100% refund in FCC (future cruise credit) if a passenger or any member of his/her travel party test positive for Coronavirus in the 3 weeks prior to the booking. As compensation for the missed day at sea, RCI provided all passengers with a pro-rated cash refund plus 1-day refund in FCC. All remaining OBCs were also refunded.
The ship was operating with reduced capacity (~40%), carrying a total of 1680 passengers plus 1148 crew. On December 10, all passengers were disembarked in Singapore but required to monitor their health for 14 days and to have a COVID-19 swab test at the end of the 2-week period. The tests were arranged by RCI. No quarantine/isolation was required.
For more Quantum of the Seas accidents and incidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.