Royal Caribbean International asks HK govt to reconsider 21-day suspension

Royal Caribbean International has been ordered by the Hong Kong authority to suspend voyages for 21 days as one of its crew members tested positive in COVID-19 testing. The company has called for the government to reconsider the 21-day suspension as the company reportedly is suffering from a huge loss. 

In a statement, Royal Caribbean International said its three-night cruise "Spectrum of the Seas" scheduled for 28 October 28 2021 will be cancelled. The decision came after a crew member, who previously recovered from COVID-19 in July 2021, had an indeterminant test result. The test sample was immediately delivered to Hong Kong's department of health to be retested, and officials reported that the result was preliminary positive. However, the same crew member was retested once again by The North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre and the result was negative. But the result did not guarantee the journey. Royal Caribbean International said the department of health continued to acknowledge the preliminary positive test result, and had advised a suspension of operations for a minimum of 21 days.

The South China Morning Post(SCMP) cited an industry insider that Royal Caribbean International is suffering from huge loss due to the halt. In the meantime, the company is appealing to local authorities to reconsider the 21-day suspension, following the negative test results of all crew members of "Spectrum of the Seas" crew, including the one crew member in question. The SCMP report also said the rest of the 1,250 crew had tested negative twice as of Saturday morning. These crew members were isolated on the cruise liner near Lamma Island.  The company added that if this suspension is confirmed, Royal Caribbean International will offer guests cancellation options to receive a full refund.

Hong Kong has aligned with China's "zero-COVID" approach as it adopts one of the most stringent preventive measures in the world. Inbound travellers are required to undergo compulsory quarantine for as many as 21 days in a designated quarantine hotel. Previously, the European Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong urged the government to open the city after it tightened its quarantine measures in mid-August. This came as the group feels the tightened measures will otherwise undermine Hong Kong's status as an international business centre. 

In an open letter, chairman of the board of directors at the European chamber of commerce, Frederik Gollob said recent concerns raised by the Hong Kong government’s health advisors around isolated cases of residents returning to the city and testing positive after a few days of coming out of the quarantine were out of proportion, and contributed again to concern within the international community, adding that Hong Kong must open itself sooner rather than later. 

"This new quarantine regime could lead many in the international community to question if they want to remain indefinitely trapped in Hong Kong when the rest of the world is moving on. This concern amongst the international business community could pose, undoubtedly, a growing threat to Hong Kong’s status as an international business centre," he said. 


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