Another 44 cases of the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been confirmed on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.
The Numbers Keep Going Up
The latest from the quarantined Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan, is that another 44 cases of the Coronavirus, now officially named COVID-19, have been confirmed by Japan’s Health Ministry and the cruise line.
Related: Cruise Ship Cancels Cruise in the Caribbean Due to Gastrointestinal Outbreak
Those infected include guests and crew members, and they are all going through a very difficult time. Guests are being confined in their cabins with only very limited time outside and the crew has to keep ship operations going by working and looking after the passengers.
It has also been announced by Princess Cruises that over the next several days the authorities are planning voluntary disembarkation for guests, who will then continue quarantine at a temporary facility on land. This is mainly focused on guests who need other medical and general needs. Here are the details of the temporary facilities:
- The housing facility includes individual rooms and individual bathrooms.
- There are no clinics at these facilities. Prescription medication will be provided, but medical care will require transport to a hospital or clinic.
- The food available will not accommodate dietary preferences but will accommodate certain medical conditions. The meals provided will be Japanese bento-style boxes. No Western meals will be available.
Diamond Princess is currently under a 14-day quarantine which is expected to come to an end on February 14, 2020. The ship also has the largest amount of known COVID-19 infections outside of mainland China. The big question now is how will guests and crew be able to get back home as the ship will not be sailing anytime soon once the quarantine ends.
Also Read: Cruise Ship Denied at Multiple Ports Finally Allowed to Dock in Cambodia
The cruise line has also announced that the crew will receive two months paid vacation including average gratuities. It is a hard time for sure onboard, and Princess Cruises is supporting guests and crew by providing free wifi, telephone service, consular support, and more to ease conditions as much as possible.
As of this writing, the deadly Coronavirus, which started from Wuhan in China, has infected more than 60,000 around the world and killed 1,370, with fatalities mainly in China.
