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 The 40-year-old passenger tested positive onboard and the result was
confirmed after the person was taken to hospital once the ship
docked early on Wednesday, the Singapore Tourism Board said,
following the detection of the suspected case.
"The passenger was identified as a close contact of a confirmed case
on land, and was immediately isolated as part of onboard health
protocols," the board said in a statement.
Passengers said they found out about the suspected case in an
announcement at around 1 a.m. and had been asked to stay in their
rooms since.
The global cruise industry has taken a major hit from the
coronavirus pandemic, with some of the earliest big outbreaks
occurring on cruise ships in Asian waters.
Singapore, which has seen relatively few domestic COVID-19 cases,
launched "round trips" on luxury liners in November, with no port of
call during a few days of sailing.
The World Dream cruise liner had 1,646 passengers and 1,249 crew
members on board and all of them were required to remain in their
staterooms with contactless meals sent to them, according to Dream
Cruises, a part of Genting Cruise Lines.
The guest suspected of having COVID-19 had tested negative in a
mandatory, pre-departure antigen rapid test before the ship set sail
for a three-night cruise on Sunday.
The infected passenger's three travelling companions tested negative
and were isolated while further contact tracing was being done, the
tourism board said.
Only essential service crew with personal protective equipment were
being allowed limited movement within the ship, Dream Cruises said.
'A BIT RARE TO HAPPEN'
Passenger Rishi Lalwani said he was surprised by the positive case,
given the testing and social distancing measures in place for the
cruise.
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 "The COVID situation in
Singapore seemed largely contained so, yes, a
case in a cruise of 1,700 guests seemed a bit
rare to happen. Especially because there haven't
been cases on cruises to nowhere for months,"
said Lalwani.
The cruises to nowhere, restricted to Singapore
residents, have become popular during the
pandemic with other travel opportunities very
limited because of coronavirus restrictions.
Singapore reported 56 locally-transmitted coronavirus cases on
Wednesday, the highest number of daily domestic infections recorded
in about 10 months. Local media, citing authorities, reported that
the case on the ship was part of a growing cluster of COVID-19
infections associated with karaoke lounges.
Tan Choon Seng, 51, was on his third cruise this year with some
friends when the bad news came through, but at least it was nearly
the end of the holiday, he said. "We are thankful
that this happened at 1 a.m. so we were done with all the
activities," Tan said in an online session with media organised by
the operator. Tan said he was worried about quarantine but would
still go on a cruise again.
Disembarkation will commence when contact tracing for the positive
case is completed and close contacts will be issued quarantine
orders, the STB said. Passengers would have to undergo a mandatory
antigen rapid test.
World Dream's next sailing, a two-night voyage departing on
Wednesday, has been cancelled.
In December, passengers on Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas
vessel were held in their cabins for more than 16 hours in Singapore
after a suspected COVID-19 case on board.
 But that turned out to be a false alarm.
(Reporting by Chen Lin and Aradhana Aravindan in Singapore; Writing
by Ed Davies; Editing by Richard Pullin and Mark Heinrich)
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