Singapore will cease port calls for all cruise vessels, both scheduled and otherwise, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Friday, Mar. 13.

According to co-chair of the Multi-Ministry Taskforce for Covid-19, Lawrence Wong, the Singapore government decided that it was prudent to do so based on available evidence and data.

Decision comes in wake of Costa Fortuna docking

The decision comes in the wake of the docking of the Costa Fortuna at the Marina Cruise Centre in Singapore on Mar. 10.

Dozens of Italians were among the ship's passengers. As of Mar. 10, Italy was most afflicted country outside of China with 9,000 cases and 463 deaths.

Prior to docking in Singapore, the cruise ship had been turned away from Thailand and Malaysia over fears of Covid-19.

In a tweet on Mar. 6, the cruise reiterated that no one on the ship was infected with the disease.

Costa Crociere clarifies that there is no suspect case on board Costa Fortuna. Disembarkation in Pukhet has not been possible due to restrictions imposed in the last hours by Thailandese authorities on Italians that have transited in Italy in the last 14 days.

— Costa Press Office (@Costa_Press) March 6, 2020

What happened to the Costa Fortuna passengers who disembarked?

All Costa Fortuna passengers were required to undergo temperature screening as a precautionary measure.

Authorities also stated that the doctor onboard the ship had checked on the passengers and crew to ensure that they were healthy before disembarking.

None of its passengers and crew on board reported a fever or exhibited other symptoms of respiratory illness.

Some passengers were immediately bussed to the airport upon leaving the cruise, while others went to their hotels.

A joint release by Maritime Port Authority, Ministry of Health and the Singapore Tourism Board added that almost all foreign passengers would depart Singapore within the next two days, following disembarkation.

What are the measures neighbouring countries have taken?

On Mar. 8, Malaysia announced that it would be implementing a blanket ban on all cruise ships coming into the country, The Star reported.

This move came a day after Malaysia barred the Costa Fortuna from docking at the country, The Straits Times reported.

As for Thailand, it barred the entry of all passengers from the MS Westerdam cruise ship on Feb. 14, with the exception of Thai nationals.

The decision was made after a passenger from the ship who got off in Cambodia, was found to be infected with Covid-19 when she was screened in Malaysia.

The same month also saw Vietnam turn away two cruise ships over Covid-19 fears. Vietnamese health authorities reasoned that one of the vessels had docked in Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines -- countries which had reported Covid-19 cases.

Top photo by Zenn Tan.