Thousands held on Hong Kong cruise ship for Covid testing

Nine of the ship’s passengers were close contacts of an infected patient linked to a recent Omicron cluster. As a result, all the passengers have been held on the ship, pending testing for Covid-19.

Thousands of passengers were being held on Wednesday, January 5, on a cruise ship in Hong Kong for coronavirus testing after health authorities said nine passengers were linked to a recent omicron cluster and ordered the ship to turn back.

Authorities forced the Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas ship, which began sailing on Sunday on a “cruise to nowhere,” to return a day early on Wednesday, according to a government statement.