Japan confirms 70 more coronavirus cases on cruise ship

February 17, 2020

Tokyo--Seventy more people have been confirmed infected with the new coronavirus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined off Japan, the health ministry said Sunday.

The total number of infected passengers and crew members of the ship, docked at Yokohama, near Tokyo, thus reached 355. They were among the 1,219 people on the ship who went through virus screenings.

Of those infected, 19, including 11 Japanese nationals, were in severe conditions.

The ministry plans to conduct virus screenings on all passengers on board and allow those who will test negative to disembark from Wednesday, after the end of the government-set 14-day monitoring period.

Meanwhile, passengers aged 80 or older with preexisting conditions are already allowed to get off if they test negative. Their disembarkation started Friday.

Ministry officials said virus screenings have almost finished for passengers in their 70s. Virus tests for younger passengers will also be conducted.

The Diamond Princess, which arrived off Yokohama's Daikoku Pier on the night of Feb. 3, was placed under quarantine after a Hong Kong passenger who had already disembarked was found infected with the virus originating in China's Wuhan.

About 3,300 passengers and crew members are believed to be on the ship. The passengers are basically required to stay inside their rooms until Wednesday.

Besides passengers and crew members, one quarantine officer who took part in the quarantine work on the ship tested positive for the virus. Jiji Press