Stuck onboard

SINGAPORE - Guests began leaving a Genting Cruise Lines “cruise to nowhere” on Wednesday night after nearly 3000 passengers and crew were confined to their staterooms through most of the day after the detection of a COVID-19 case onboard.

A 40-year-old passenger tested positive onboard and the result was confirmed after the person was taken to hospital once the ship docked early on Wednesday, the Singapore Tourism Board said, 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 board said in a statement.

Passengers said they found out about the suspected case in an announcement at 1am and had been asked to stay in their rooms since.

The global cruise industry has taken a major hit from the coronavirus pandemic, with some of the earliest big outbreaks occurring on cruise ships in Asian waters.

Singapore, which has seen relatively few domestic COVID-19 cases, launched “round trips” on luxury liners in November, with no port of call during a few days of sailing.

Singapore reported 56 locallytransmitted coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the highest number of daily domestic infections recorded in about 10 months. Local media reported that the case on the ship was part of a growing cluster of COVID-19 infections associated with karaoke lounges.

The World Dream cruise liner had 1646 passengers and 1249 crew members on board.

Picture: REUTERS/Chen Lin A cruise ship is docked at harbour after turning back due to positive coronavirus disease (COVID-19) case on board, in Singapore.

Picture: REUTERS/Chen Lin Above: A cruise ship is docked at harbour after turning back due to positive coronavirus disease (COVID-19) case on board, in Singapore.

Picture: REUTERS Left: Packed food distributed to the passengers’ cabins is pictured on Genting Cruise Lines ship after a confirmed case of COVID-19 on board, in Singapore in this picture obtained from social media.