the coronavirus crisis
41 new coronavirus cases reported aboard quarantined cruise ship
Japan announced Friday that 41 more passengers on board a quarantined cruise ship have tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus, bringing the total number of sick people to 61.
The Diamond Princess, now docked at the port of Yokohama, is carrying roughly 3,700 passengers and crew members. Officials believe an 80-year-old man who got off the ship in Hong Kong was the first person on board to contract the coronavirus. The sick passengers have all been hospitalized, while those who are in quarantine have been given thermometers and told to keep track of their temperature, notifying the crew if it goes above 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
Earlier this week, 273 people on board the ship were tested for coronavirus after coming into contact with the sick passenger or complaining of a fever. The passengers were told on Monday that they would have to stay in their cabins under quarantine for two weeks, and those who don't have windows in their rooms are allowed to go up to the top deck for fresh air. The ship has provided passengers with gloves and face masks, and they have all been advised to stay away from each other. Despite this, "we are still in good spirits," passenger Tammy Smith of California told The Wall Street Journal.
A Holland America ship, the Westerdam, had been scheduled to make stops at multiple ports in Japan, but Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said non-Japanese passengers would not be allowed to disembark over fears of spreading the virus. Holland America said there are no known cases of coronavirus on board.