Passengers on board the Royal Caribbean International's Quantum of the Seas who did not have close contact to the Covid-19 patient will be allowed to leave the ship.

The ship has since turned back and returned to Singapore on Dec. 9 after a passenger was confirmed to have Covid-19.

Those not in close contact can leave the ship, to take rapid antigen test

Close contacts of the case will be placed on quarantine, while the remaining passengers and crew will remain onboard in their rooms until contact tracing is complete.

Quoting the managing director for Asia-Pacific at Royal Caribbean International Angie Stephen, The Straits Times reported that those who are not close contacts of the confirmed case will be allowed to disembark and take a rapid antigen test.

These passengers can go home, and will be advised to monitor their health for the next 14 days.

In a health advisory to the passengers, MOH also said that they can continue with their "usual activities" such as going to work.

At the end of the monitoring period, they will have to take a swab test.

Royal Caribbean will contact passengers from a week after disembarkation with the details of their swab appointment.

MOH said it will bear the cost of those tests, ST reported.

All guests will also take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test at the end of 14 days, with the expense borne by Royal Caribbean.

The guest who tested positive for Covid-19 and other people in the travelling party will get a full refund.

The other guests will be refunded the value of one day of the cruise price.

Details about the patient

The passenger had taken a mandatory Covid-19 PCR test prior to boarding, and was tested negative, Annie Chang, Director (Cruise) at the Singapore Tourism Board said in a statement shared with Mothership.

He had reported to the onboard medical centre with diarrhoea, and underwent a mandatory Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test as part of the onboard protocols.

As part of the protocols for a positive test during a cruise, the passenger was immediately isolated and his initial close contacts were identified and isolated.

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Top photo via Royal Caribbean/FB