A cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean has returned to Singapore on day three of a four-day "cruise to nowhere" after a passenger tested positive for Covid-19.

BBC News reports, the Asian city state's "cruises to nowhere" - starting and ending at the same port without stops - launched last month.

They are an attempt to revive the hard-hit cruise industry, which largely came to a global standstill after ships saw large outbreaks early in the pandemic.

Singapore's special cruises are only open to its residents.

The Royal Caribbean cruise ship Quantum of the Seas left Singapore on Monday for a four-day round trip as part of a "safe cruising" scheme announced by the country's tourism board in October.

The cruise company said it had turned the ship around after one guest tested positive for coronavirus after checking in with the on-board medical team.

"We identified and isolated all guests and crew who had close contact with this guest, and each of those individuals have subsequently tested negative for the virus," it said in a statement.

The firm added that passengers would be allowed to disembark "after a review of contact tracing is completed".

According to Singaporean daily newspaper The Straits Times, there were 1,680 guests and 1,448 crew members on board.

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