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Kyodo

Japan quarantined a cruise ship that arrived at a port in Yokohama on Monday evening after an elderly male passenger on the vessel was found infected with a new coronavirus when he disembarked in Hong Kong late last month, the health ministry said.
Several dozen quarantine officers are checking the health of all 2,500 passengers and 1,000 crew members, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said.


At least seven people on the ship said they felt ill, and the results of their tests will be available on Tuesday, a government official said.
Officials also said the health ministry would take samples from possible coronavirus patients to determine whether they are infected.


Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan would coordinate closely with the World Health Organisation to prevent the outbreak from affecting the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics this summer.
The government is stepping up efforts to stem the spread of the virus, which originated in Wuhan in central China, with 20 cases of infection confirmed in Japan so far.
Abe said the development of a rapid test kit for the virus was under way so more institutions, including private ones, can conduct screenings.
“We will closely work with the World Health Organisation and others to make sure that preparations for the Olympics and Paralympics will steadily proceed without an impact” from the outbreak, he told a parliamentary session.
WHO chief calls for caution on coronavirus trade and travel bans
Olympic organisers and relevant sports associations will meet, possibly this week, to discuss how to respond to the new coronavirus and other infectious diseases, according to Olympics minister Seiko Hashimoto.
On Saturday, an 80-year-old man from Hong Kong was diagnosed with the virus after his return there on the cruise ship from Japan.
The man flew to Japan from China on January 17 and left Yokohama near Tokyo on the Diamond Princess ship on January 20 before arriving in Hong Kong on January 25.
The increasing number of coronavirus infections, mainly in China but also in other parts of the world, has raised calls among ruling and opposition party lawmakers for the government to do more to protect the public.

“We’ve already embarked on development of a simple test kit,” Abe said. “As cases of infection in Japan are rising, it’s an urgent task to improve testing and enhance consultation services.”
The comments came in response to Fumio Kishida, the policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who said that virus testing was currently conducted only at state-run or public institutions such as the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
The government is attempting to make sure that people have access to medical services and supplies, including masks. Abe has instructed ministers to deal with the outbreak and its effect on the economy.
After the ship – which can carry about 2,700 passengers and 1,100 crew members – arrived at the port of Yokohama on Monday night, a passenger said it was announced that the planned departure time from Yokohama would be delayed for 24 hours.
Coronavirus: Chinese military takes control of medical supplies in Wuhan
The cruise ship was quarantined when it stopped at a port in the Okinawa prefectural capital Naha on Saturday. But because the man was found to have been infected, the health ministry decided to quarantine the ship again upon arrival in Yokohama, according to an official.
Since Saturday, Japan has been barring foreign nationals who have been to Hubei in the two weeks before their arrival, as well as holders of Chinese passports issued in Hubei.


A total of eight foreigners were denied entry over the weekend, chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said, without elaborating.
The increase in infections has increased demand for masks in Japan, leading the industry and health ministries to call on domestic manufacturers to increase output, Suga said.
The death toll from the virus in mainland China has reached 362, topping that of the 2002-2003 Sars pandemic, according to the country’s health authorities.


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Coronavirus: Japan quarantines cruise ship that called at Hong Kong

Cruise ship Diamond Princess is seen near Yokohama, Japan. Photo: Reuters

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epa08177730 A man wearing a mask stands in front of a stock market indicator board in Tokyo, Japan, 30 January 2020. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average plunged 401.65 points, or 1.72 percent, to close at 22,977.75, following rising concerns over the impact on the global economy of the coronavirus outbreak in China. According to health authorities the number of known coronavirus cases jumped to 7,771 in China on 30 January including the first confirmed case in Tibet. At least 170 people have died from the virus. EPA-EFE/FRANCK ROBICHON

TOPSHOT - Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) reacts during a budget committee session of the upper house at parliament on January 30, 2020. - Three Japanese evacuated from the epicentre of a deadly new coronavirus outbreak have tested positive for the illness, the government said January 30 as it faced criticism for the country's minimal quarantine procedures. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)

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Several dozen quarantine officers are checking the health of all 2,500 passengers and 1,000 crew members, authorities said
An 80-year-old man from Hong Kong was diagnosed with the virus after his return there on the cruise ship from Japan



Several dozen quarantine officers are checking the health of all 2,500 passengers and 1,000 crew members, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said.
