Thailand and Singapore also ban entry of "Westerdam ship passengers"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Thailand and Singapore have also announced that they will ban entry of passengers aboard the cruise ship Westerdam, which is docked in Cambodia, due to concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Transit through their airports is also prohibited. Earlier, the Malaysian government imposed an entry ban after a confirmed case was found among the passengers of the cruise ship.

According to foreign media such as CNN, on the 18th, Thai health authorities announced the previous day that they had banned the entry of passengers and crew members aboard the Westerdam. Westerdam passengers have been instructed not to issue boarding passes for the next 14 days. The Singapore Ministry of Health also stated that two passengers who had boarded the Westerdam arrived in Singapore and are in quarantine, and that other passengers will be banned from entry.

Earlier, the Malaysian government canceled the remaining charter flights and banned the entry of other passengers immediately after one confirmed case was detected among 145 Westerdam passengers who arrived at Kuala Lumpur Airport by plane on the evening of the 14th. Cambodian authorities, who had permitted the Westerdam to dock at Sihanoukville Port and allowed passengers to disembark, have also suspended further disembarkation.

The Westerdam is a large cruise ship owned by the British-American company Holland America. It departed from Hong Kong on the 1st with 1,455 passengers and 802 crew members aboard. After news of a suspected case on board, five countries?Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, the U.S. territory Guam, and Thailand?refused entry, causing the ship to drift at sea for two weeks before Cambodia granted entry on the 13th, allowing it to dock at Sihanoukville Port in Cambodia.