- Ten people on a Japanese cruise ship that has been quarantined near Tokyo since Monday have tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus.
- Medics started screening all 3,711 people aboard on Tuesday. Nobody can leave the ship for the next 14 days.
- The 10 infected people, who are all over 50 years old, were taken into isolation at a nearby hospital on the Japanese mainland.
- They consist of two Australians, three Japanese, three Hong Kongers, one American, and one Filipino.
- The Diamond Princess was first quarantined because a passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong on January 25 tested positive for the virus on January 31.
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Ten passengers aboard a cruise ship quarantined in Japan have tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus.
The Diamond Princess arrived in Yokohama on Monday after a round trip to Hong Kong.
It was quarantined upon arrival in Japan after an 80-year-old man who disembarked on January 25 in Hong Kong later tested positive for the virus, which spreads from human to human.
Medics began examining all 3,711 passengers and crew who remained on the ship on Tuesday, with about 300 specifically screened for the novel coronavirus. It’s not clear why those 300 were singled out.
As of Wednesday, 10 people on board had tested positive for the virus, the Japanese state broadcaster NHK reported, citing the health ministry.
The 10 patients, all at least 50 years old, consist of two Australians, three Japanese, three Hong Kongers, one American, and one Filipino, the cruise operator Princess Cruises said in a press release.
The Japanese Coast Guard has taken them all to an isolation clinic at a nearby hospital on the Japanese mainland, NHK reported.
Including those 10 people, 120 people aboard the ship showed symptoms of the virus during initial checks, NHK said. Symptoms include fevers and coughing.
One hundred fifty-three other people were tested because they had come into close contact with those showing symptoms.
Authorities have quarantined the ship for the next 14 days, Japan's health ministry said, according to NHK. That means nobody can leave it for the next two weeks.
Princess Cruises says it has given guests free WiFi and telephones to stay in touch with their families. It's not clear whether other activities are still available. Reuters reported on Tuesday that the casino, shops, and photo studio had been shut, and photos shared by a passenger on board showed the rooftop pool deserted.
Last week Italian authorities quarantined a cruise ship carrying more than 6,000 people at a port in Civitavecchia, Italy, amid fears that two passengers had the coronavirus. They were released on January 31.
The coronavirus has hit the travel industry hard, as multiple airlines have canceled flights to mainland China and countries have advised against visiting the country. Shares of airlines, hotels, and cruise lines have been trading lower since the outbreak began.
The coronavirus has killed 492 people and infected more than 23,000 others across 26 countries since it broke out in the Chinese city of Wuhan in early December. The vast majority of confirmed cases are in China.
- Read more:
- What it's like onboard the Diamond Princess in the quarantine
- Everything we know about the deadly Wuhan virus sweeping across China
- Health experts issued an ominous warning about a coronavirus pandemic 3 months ago. The virus in that simulation could kill 65 million people.
- Wuhan, China, and at least 15 other cities have been quarantined as China attempts to halt the spread of the coronavirus. That's about 50 million people on lockdown.
- The Wuhan coronavirus has spread to at least 25 countries. Here's how to protect yourself while traveling.
