More passengers leave virus-hit cruise ship in Japan

February 21, 2020

Tokyo--A second group of passengers left on Thursday the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship that has been quarantined over the new coronavirus at the port of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, since early this month.

According to the health ministry, 274 passengers who do not show symptoms and have tested negative for the virus disembarked from the ship between 10:20 a.m. (1:20 a.m. GMT) and 3:40 p.m.

The first group of passengers--443 elderly people, including some 410 Japanese--left the ship on Wednesday.

The ministry asked passengers who left the ship to check their health every day and avoid nonessential outings for the next two weeks, and wear face masks without fail when they go out. They are also asked to call a dedicated hotline if they develop symptoms such as fever and coughing.

All of the passengers remaining on the cruise ship, except those who shared cabins with infected people, will get off the vessel on Friday.

The Diamond Princess, which left Yokohama on Jan. 20, was quarantined when it arrived in the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa on Feb. 1.

But the quarantine clearance was invalidated due to the discovery that a man who got off the ship in Hong Kong on Jan. 25 had the virus. The ship has been quarantined again since it arrived back in Yokohama on the night of Feb. 3.

Passengers had been asked to stay in their cabins for 14 days since 10 people on the ship were found infected with the virus on Feb. 5.

On Thursday, 13 more people on the Diamond Princess were confirmed to carry the virus.

Of 3,063 passengers and crew members whose test results have become available by Thursday, 634, including 270 Japanese, were found to have the virus, according to the ministry. Jiji Press