Coronavirus: Cruise ship in Saudi Arabia returns after suspected COVID-19 case

A cruise ship in Saudi Arabia has returned to port after a suspected COVID-19 coronavirus case was detected on board, Al Arabiya’s correspondent has confirmed.

The “Silver Spirit” cruise ship initially set sail on Thursday from the port of King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) carrying passengers on the Kingdom’s first recreational cruises.

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“This morning we received a letter sent by the management of the Silver Spirit cruise ship, which confirmed the existence of a suspected case of a COVID-19 coronavirus in a woman. The letter also confirmed that this case was isolated in the wings designated for those on board the ship who show signs of the virus,” Al Arabiya’s correspondent Abdulrahman al-Osaimi said while on board the ship.

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“The ship was supposed to end its voyage tomorrow, Sunday morning, but the cruise has returned to the port of King Abdullah Economic City today, Saturday, instead of Sunday morning, in order to ensure the safety of all passengers,” al-Osaimi said.

Reports that all passengers will be isolated were not correct, according to al-Osaimi.

“So far, there is no isolation and also the case is a suspected case of coronavirus, not a confirmed case,” he added.

The ship’s capacity was kept during its voyage to 75 percent to ensure social distancing between those on board, while extensive COVID-19 testing was carried out before any passengers can board the ship, according to the ship’s management who worked with the Kingdom’s Ministry of Health.

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