World Dream cruise ship passengers cleared to disembark after negative tests

Thousands of passengers and crew members aboard the World Dream cruise ship in Hong Kong were cleared to disembark on Sunday after all 1,800 crew members tested negative for the novel coronavirus.

The ship had been held in quarantine for five days due to concerns that some crew members might have contracted the virus on a previous voyage.

The World Dream previously carried three Chinese passengers to Vietnam between January 19 and 24, who were later confirmed to be infected with the virus.

Hong Kong health authorities deemed passenger testing unnecessary as they had not been in contact with the infected individuals from the January trip.

Passengers and crew were not required to undergo self-quarantine after leaving the vessel.

Dream Cruises provided transportation and hotel accommodations for foreign passengers who required them.

Hong Kong has recently implemented a 14-day quarantine for all arrivals from mainland China to help contain the virus's spread.