Coronavirus: 44 more cases on Diamond Princess cruise ship anchored off Japan
- There have now been 218 cases confirmed on the cruise ship, taking the total number of infections in Japan to 247
- There are now questions about whether the quarantine on the ship is working, with dozens of new cases diagnosed almost daily
Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said the 44 new cases were detected from another 221 new tests. They raise the number of infections detected on the Diamond Princess to 218, in addition to a quarantine officer who also tested positive for the virus.
Kato said authorities now want to move elderly people off the ship if they test negative for the virus, offering to put them in government-designated lodging.
“We wish to start the operation from tomorrow or later,” Kato told reporters. “On the ship, there are those of advanced age and with pre-existing conditions. There are also those who are having to stay in rooms with no windows until the incubation period finishes [on February 19].
“We will conduct ... tests for those who are high-risk and if they test negative, those who wish to disembark can go and live in a lodging facility that the government will prepare.”
Of the newly diagnosed infections, 43 are passengers, and one a member of the crew.