Nearly 3,000 passengers and crew are disembarking a Dream Cruises ship on Wednesday after being confined in their cabins when a passenger tested positive for Covid-19.
All passengers and crew aboard the three-night World Dream “cruise to nowhere” in Singapore had been required to isolate in their cabins, with only essential crew members being allowed to move throughout the ship.
The guest had taken a rapid antigen test prior to boarding the cruise that came back negative, but contact tracing revealed the guest was a close contact of a confirmed Covid-19 case. The guest was then immediately isolated and tested positive for the virus on Tuesday, Dream Cruises, owned by Genting Cruise Line, said in a statement.
According to a report by Reuters, other guests on the ship were confined to their rooms being at 1 a.m. local time. The travellers began leaving the ship about 8:30 p.m.
The guest’s travel companions have all tested negative for the virus, and will disembark from a route that is separated from other passengers, along with those who came in contact with the guest. The passenger who tested positive disembarked hours before other guests and crew.
Contact tracing was conducted by tracking guests’ wearable devices, keycards and CCTV footage.
All other guests are being required to fill out contactless self check-out forms before leaving their rooms and must take a rapid antigen test at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore as they disembark, the company said.
Dream Cruises said the guests are required to remain in their cabins until they are called upon by crew to disembark.
There were 1,646 passengers and 1,249 crew members on board the ship, Dream Cruises said.
The cruise line also canceled a two-night World Dream cruise that was scheduled to depart on Wednesday.
This is the cruise line’s first positive Covid-19 test since sailings from Singapore resumed in November 2020. World Dream has had 103 sailings with over 130,000 guests as of July 11.
In December, nearly 1,700 passengers on a Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas ship were forced to isolate in their cabins for more than 16 hours due to a suspected Covid case.