Passengers of a luxury cruise ship are confined in their cabins and trapped aboard for 14 days, as they were quarantined because of a case of the novel corona virus that joined them while adrift.
More than 3, 700 tourists are still afloat inside the liner named Diamond Princess in the shores of Yokohama, Japan being tested and screened for the dreaded virus. Japan health officials have begun the first phase of screening this week and have tested 273 people aboard the ship for any sign of the disease that killed infected tens of thousands already.
Ten people in the luxury cruise have already been tested positive including three Japanese guests, two Australian guests, one guest from America, three guests from Hong Kong and a Filipino crew member, Tuesday, February 4. All of the following were already escorted from the ship and taken to a local hospital for treatment. According to Katsunobu Kato, Japanese Health Minister, none of the infected displayed severe symptoms.
The day after, ten more people tested positive with the virus and were also immediately taken off the vessel and brought to a medical facility. Those who tested positive were just out of 102 people tested, while 171 others who have undergone testing are still waiting for their results.
The ship's official was immediately clued in on the possibility of corona virus joining them on board. According to Princess Cruise Lines, operator of the Diamond Princess, the guest from Hong Kong tested positive with the virus last February 1, after disembarking from the liner last January 25. So far those who have been tested positive with the infection were those who had contact to the man who tested positive from Hong Kong.
The luxury cruise was cut short and returned to anchor in Yokohoma earlier than their scheduled arrival. Amid the health screening of its passengers, the cruise line has already canceled their upcoming voyages.
On the other hand, another cruise ship is being held anchored in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong after three of its former passengers in the cruise from January 19-24 were tested positive for nCoV. According to Dream Cruised, operator of the World Dream, the passengers joined the cruise to Vietnam and were tested positive after disembarkment, thus as a precautionary measure they are quarantined inside the ship.
The Department of Health of Hong Kong said that there were more than 4,000 passengers who joined that voyage which disembarked in Nansha, China and Hong Kong after the cruise to Vietnam.
The cruise operator is still attempting to contact all passengers who have joined them in the journey from January 19 to 24 to inform them of the situation and so they can immediately seek medical assistance from their local health.
However, the crew on board the ship stayed in the cruise and still picked up another batch of tourists before arriving and being quarantined in Hong Kong. The ship's operator is still to release their statement on this matter.
Moreover, Hong Kong's Department of Health advised on Wednesday that 30 crew members are showing signs of sickness but are all stable conditions, whilst three of them who have developed fever are currently being tested and isolated in a Hongkong hospital.
