Genting ship forced back to Singapore after traveler found Covid-19 positive.
According to media reports, nearly 3000 passengers aboard the World Dream cruise vessel were confined to their cabins after a passenger tested positive for Covid-19.
The World Dream vessel, part of Genting Hong Kong’s cruise fleet, reportedly had 103 sailings, carrying over 130,000 guests since the resumption of cruise sailing in Singapore, with no infections reported.
The tourism board reported that a 40-year-old passenger was immediately isolated and taken to hospital for more tests in the early hours of Wednesday after the ship docked. They stated that he was a close contact of a confirmed case on land.
However, the passenger's three travel companions tested negative but were also isolated while the authorities conducted further contact tracing.
Dream Cruises, operators of the World Dream vessel, came out separately to state that they were conducting full cleaning and sanitization on the ship. It would include all the areas the affected passenger visited. Furthermore, the vessel's next scheduled sailing that was due to leave on Wednesday was also canceled.
In November last year, the Singapore government permitted luxury liners to resume round trips for a few days of sailing with no port of call.
Genting Hong Kong has been struggling financially amid the dramatic reduction in cruise ship business amid the pandemic. However, multiple analysts expressed hope that the industry would steadily pick up toward the end of 2021 as the state opened up to more international travel.
Genting Hongkong, the parent company, had earlier in June said that it concluded a series of deals to improve the company's financial stability. They also aimed to create a “stable runway” for the firm to execute pandemic recovery plans.
The deals, first announced in May, included new facilities amounting to US$700million on loans. It also covered the amendment of the firm’s existing indebtedness, plus providing “Backstop funding” regarding any future liquidity needs.
