Coronavirus: 20 infected, thousands quarantined on Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan
- About 3,700 people are facing at least two weeks quarantined on the cruise ship
- The new infections brought the total number of cases in Japan to 45
Ten more people on a cruise ship off Japan’s coast have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the health minister said on Thursday, raising the number of infections detected on the boat to 20.
Japanese authorities have tested 273 people among the approximately 3,700 passengers and crew on the ship after a man who got off the Diamond Princess last month in Hong Kong was diagnosed with the new strain.
Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told parliament on Thursday that results for 102 people had now come in, with 20 testing positive for the new strain.
In all, 273 people on board were tested, including those who had close contact with the former passenger and others displaying potential symptoms.
“It’s beginning to feel isolating – a little bit of cabin fever. There’s been no sign of them letting us out,” said Kent Frasure, 42, an Intel technician from Oregon in the United States who had saved up for the trip for more than a year and spoke by phone using WhatsApp.
Frasure said he and his wife have been frustrated by a lack of information and have been glued to their devices to monitor news online. His biggest concern is whether they were exposed to the passengers who came down with coronavirus. “What does the future hold? It’s frustrating to not know what to expect,” he said.