「どこにも行かないクルーズ」、乗客１人コロナ陽性で中断　シンガポール

【シンガポールＡＦＰ＝時事】シンガポール発着の「どこにも行かないクルーズ」が9日、乗客1人が新型コロナウイルス検査で陽性反応を示したことから中断された。関係者らが明らかにした。コロナ流行の大打撃を受けたクルーズ業界の再活性化を目指す取り組みだったが、またしてもコロナで頓挫した。（写真はロイヤル・カリビアン・インターナショナルのクァンタム・オブ・ザ・シーズ号。資料写真）
　旅行制限の影響でクルーズ船の運航は数か月間中止されていたが、先月ようやく、どこにも寄港しないクルーズ旅行が開始されていた。
　しかし９日朝になって、米客船大手ロイヤル・カリビアン・インターナショナルが運航するクァンタム・オブ・ザ・シーズ号の乗客（８３）が、新型ウイルス検査で陽性反応を示したと発表された。
　日刊紙ストレーツ・タイムズによると、同船は４日間の旅の３日目でシンガポールに引き返すことになった。当時船には乗客１６８０人と乗組員１１４８人が乗っていたという。
　シンガポール政府観光局は、接触者追跡が完了するまで乗客乗員は船内にとどまり、停泊中の港から出られるのは検査を必ず受けてからになると発表した。
　同国では数か月間休暇での旅行が制限されていたため、この「どこにも行かないクルーズ」が人気になっていた。
　しかし今年初めに複数のクルーズ船で新型ウイルスの感染が広まったことから、クルーズ船における集団感染の恐れが警告されていた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/12/10-10:08）

A cruise to nowhere off Singapore was cut short Wednesday after a passenger tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said, a blow to efforts to revive the hard-hit industry.
The voyages -- starting and ending at the city-state with no stops -- began last month, marking the resumption of cruises after a months-long hiatus due to travel restrictions.
But early Wednesday morning the holiday calm was shattered by an announcement the cruise was being cut short after an 83-year-old passenger had tested positive.
One guest aboard Quantum of the Seas tested positive for coronavirus after checking in with our medical team, operator Royal Caribbean said in a statement.
We identified and isolated all guests and crew who had close contact with this guest, and each of those individuals have subsequently tested negative for the virus.
The vessel had 1,680 guests and 1,148 crew on board, and arrived early morning in the city-state after turning back on day three of a four-day cruise, the Straits Times newspaper reported.
The Singapore tourism board added that all on-board leisure activities were halted and passengers were asked to stay in their cabins.
Passengers and crew will remain onboard until contact tracing is complete, and will undergo mandatory virus tests before leaving the cruise terminal, the board said in a statement.
Passenger Ronald Tam, 43, who is on the cruise with his wife and three children, confirmed to the Straits Times they had been told to remain in their rooms until further instructions.
The cruises to nowhere have proved a hit in tiny Singapore after people were unable to go on holiday for months due to travel restrictions.
A raft of safety measures had been rolled out to prevent virus outbreaks, such as disinfecting public areas and reducing the number of passengers on board.
But some had warned of the potential for the virus to spread on the liner after several vessels were hit with outbreaks earlier this year.
The cancellation is the latest blow to the finance hub's travel industry, after a bubble allowing travel between Singapore and Hong Kong without quarantine was delayed indefinitely after the Chinese city reported a spike in coronavirus cases.