Coronavirus: ship operating Hong Kong ‘cruises to nowhere’ ordered to suspend services for 3 weeks after Covid-19 scare
- Spectrum of the Seas told to suspend voyages for 21 days as a precaution despite all 1,250 crew members having tested negative twice as of Saturday morning
- Operator Royal Caribbean confirms it will pay for passengers’ Covid-19 tests
A multinational giant offering “cruises to nowhere” from Hong Kong on one of its largest liners has been ordered to suspend its services for 21 days after a crew member tested as a repositive Covid-19 case, marking its third brush with bad luck since the scheme began.
Royal Caribbean International, one of two firms offering the service in Hong Kong, has been told by health officials to suspend cruises on its Spectrum of the Seas ship until November 11 as a precaution.
The suspension came despite the rest of the ship’s 1,250 crew members having tested negative twice as of Saturday morning. The company said it would also cover the cost of the HK$240 (US$31) shelled out by would-be passengers for their mandatory coronavirus tests.
Health officials on Friday night said a sample collected from the 40-year-old crew member “tested indeterminate” at a private lab the previous day, while a test conducted by a Department of Health lab returned a positive result, but with very low viral load.