Thousands held on cruise ship in Hong Kong due to Omicron fears

Passengers look out from the Spectrum of the Seas cruise ship (Vincent Yu/AP)

Thousands of passengers are being held on a cruise ship in Hong Kong for coronavirus testing after health authorities said nine passengers were linked to a recent Omicron cluster.

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.