Japan cruise ship coronavirus cases hit 175, including quarantine officer

TOKYO－Another 39 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus on the cruise ship Diamond Princess quarantined in Japan, with one quarantine officer also infected, bringing the total to 175, Japanese Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

The Diamond Princess was placed in quarantine for two weeks upon arriving in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, on Feb 3, after a man who disembarked in Hong Kong was diagnosed with the virus.

About 3,700 people are on board the ship, which usually has a crew of 1,100 and a passenger capacity of 2,670.

The ministry said tests were being conducted for others deemed to need them and it would announce the results later.

Kyodo News Agency, citing the health ministry, said that of the 39 cases, 10 were crew and 29 were passengers.

Ten were Japanese and the others were from 11 countries including the United States and China. Four were in serious condition, Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said.

People testing positive for the virus are taken off the ship to hospital.

The quarantine officer who was infected had been handing out questionnaires checking the health of passengers and crew since Feb 3, and had been following rules that require the wearing of a mask and gloves but not a full protective suit, according to the Nikkei business daily, quoting the health ministry.

"It's terrible about the quarantine officer," said one passenger on the ship, who declined to be identified.

"The ones who came to our room to do the initial screening had gloves and surgical masks, while the ones who came to do the actual virus test also had full gowns and full face masks."

A health ministry official had no immediate comment, but Nikkei said the ministry was checking the officer's contacts with colleagues and family members.

"There are lots of ways to get infected even if you're wearing a mask. Hand hygiene, touching the mask and then not washing hands, wearing a mask but touching your eyes with contaminated hands.... It happens," said David Fisman, an epidemiologist at the University of Toronto.

The government was considering allowing the elderly and those with chronic illnesses to disembark before the Feb 19 target date for the end of quarantine, some media reported, but added it would take time to determine where they could be sent.

Passengers and crew have been mostly confined to their quarters, aside from being allowed brief periods on deck while wearing face masks.

"You sit out on the balcony and you hear people coughing all the way along," British passenger Sally Abel said in a video streamed on Facebook.

"It is nothing like a holiday, but it is complete relaxation," she added.

On board the ship, the captain told passengers the situation was changing all the time.

"We are following the latest and best public health guidelines from the authorities," he said in a broadcast that passengers relayed on social media.

Reuters - AFP