Hong Kong cruise passengers held for COVID tests

Thousands of passengers were being held Wednesday on a cruise ship in Hong Kong for coronavirus testing .The ship was ordered to return after nine passengers were identified as close contacts of an infected patient who was linked to a new omicron cluster. Royal Caribbean said in a statement that the nine guests were immediately isolated and had all tested negative. Over the past week, Hong Kong authorities have locked down several residential buildings linked to emerging omicron clusters as it sought to prevent the spread of the coronavirus variant in the city.

The clusters emerged after several Cathay Pacific crew members broke isolation rules and dined at restaurants and bars in the city, before testing positive for the omicron variant. The ship’s Thursday sailing was also cancelled as the crew has to undergo mandatory tests, and those guests will receive aa full refund.