Royal to continue Asia cruises after passenger's 4th negative test

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Passengers on the Quantum of the Seas' first sailing, masked and distanced near the aft Flow Rider.
Passengers on the Quantum of the Seas' first sailing, masked and distanced near the aft Flow Rider. Source: Courtesy of Travel Weekly Asia

Royal Caribbean International will continue operating its Singapore cruise program after Singapore's Ministry of Health said that a fourth and final test confirmed that the passenger on the Quantum of the Seas "does not have Covid-19."

The line already canceled its Dec. 10 cruise. It will resume service on Dec. 14. 

The ministry had previously said the passenger, an 83 year-old male Singaporean, had reported to the ship's medical center with diarrhea and, as part of the protocols, was tested for Covid-19 using a PCR test on the ship. But once the ship returned to Singapore, as per the country's required protocols, the original sample was retested and came back negative for Covid-19; a second, fresh sample also came back negative.

The Quantum of the Seas had begun a series of short cruises-to-nowhere earlier this month as the first Royal Caribbean International ship to sail since the global cruise shutdown in March; the case occurred on its third sailing.

It had identified and isolated guests and crew who had close contact with the person who had presumed to be positive. Each of those individuals subsequently tested negative for the virus.

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