Sixty-one passengers aboard a cruise ship sent in quarantine in Japan have been tested for the Wuhan coronavirus, Japan’s Ministry of Public Health said.
The Diamond Princess arrived in Yokohama on Monday after a circular to Hong Kong.
The shipment was quarantined upon arrival in Japan after an 80-year-old man who disembarked on January 25 in Hong Kong tested positive for the virus, which is transmitted from huguy to huguy.
Doctors began examining the 3,711 passengers and crew members remaining on the shipment Tuesday. Those who had symptoms such as fever or cough, or who had been in contact with the first inflamed man, or those who had symptoms, were tested in particular for the novel coronavirus. Of the 273 tested, 61 tested positive.
On Wednesday, another 10 people on board tested positive for the virus. On Thursday, 10 more cases were detected and 171 had not yet been tested. On Friday, 41 of those 171 people were shown to be carriers of the virus.
The first 10 patients, all over 50 years of age, are two Australians, three Japanese, three Hong Kongers, an American and a Filipino, Princess Cruises said in a statement.
The 41 new cases included eight Americans, Canadians, Australians, one Briton, one Argentinian and 21 Japanese, the LA Times reported.
The initial ten cases were transported to an isolation clinic at a nearby hospital on the Japanese mainland by The Japanese Coast Guard. Reuters reported that new cases will be taken to hospitals in Tokyo and other towns.
Authorities have quarantined the ship. Passengers are in the midst of a 14-day lockdown where they cannot leave the ship, which began earlier this week.
Princess Cruises claims to have gifted visitors free Wi-Fi and phones to keep in touch with their families. Some cruise passengers demonstrated to Business Insider, other media outlets and on their own social media that they won free Wi-Fi, calls and entertainment on board. Reuters reported on Tuesday that the casino and photo studio had been closed and that images shared through a passenger on board showed the rooftop pool deserted.
Although some, like passenger David Abel, seemed in good spirits when the quarantine was first announced, food and material considerations began to mount. In a series of videos posted to Facebook, Abel shared what happened aboard the ship.
Shannon, a woman who asked to be known only by her first name, told Business Insider that breakfast wasn’t delivered until around 1:30 p. m. in the first place.
Abel, who is diabetic and wants to eat regularly, expressed fear about the delay in the delivery of food and its contents. Shannon said breakfast is just a plate of fruit and yogurt.
It seems that some of those problems are resolved. On Friday, Shannon said breakfast was delivered around 9:15 a. m. m. and consisted of fruit, yogurt, eggs, bacon, sausages and croissants.
“I figured the first few days would be bad because the ship made it pretty clear that it needed to restock,” she said.
He also explained how those in the inside cabin, which does not have a balcony, were allowed to go up to the main deck to get some fresh air.
“I honestly sympathize with those other people who don’t have air,” he said.
Small teams were allowed access to the main deck for an hour and a part with strict restrictions: wearing face masks, not congregating and keeping distance from each other. Initially, they were only required to wear masks, but on Friday he announced that gloves would also be distributed.
“I wonder if this is some kind of pushback or if they will face backlash from other people who were released without access to gloves. I think it’s not unusual to think that masks aren’t effective if you don’t cover your hands either. ” Shannon wrote in an email.
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 World Dream cruise ship was also quarantined in Hong Kong on Thursday due to fears of the novel coronavirus on board. Authorities have checked the thousands of people on board, but no confirmed cases have been reported, according to Reuters.
The novel 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 another 635 people and ignited more than 31,000 in 26 countries since it emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in early December. The vast majority of the cases shown are in China.
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