The 14-day quarantine for the coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan has now come to an end.
Diamond Princess Quarantine Ends
The Diamond Princess, which has been hit by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), has ended its 14-day quarantine by the Japanese Ministry of Health. This means passengers are now able to get back to their home countries, however, that might not be so simple.
Almost 400 American passengers have already been evacuated and those currently onboard from Canada, Italy, Australia, and Hong Kong will also soon be evacuated by their countries. Once passengers arrive back in their home countries, they are set to undergo another 14-day quarantine and have a confirmed negative test of the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19.
Those passengers who are not been evacuated by their country, including British passengers, will begin disembarking the Princess cruise ship today. The process will take several days to complete and to be able to travel, passengers will need a certificate from the Japanese Ministry of Health to confirm they have tested negative for the deadly virus.
Princess Cruises president Jan Swartz is currently in Japan coordinating the cruise line’s efforts and making sure support is there in disembarking guests. The cruise line is providing a full refund to all passengers including any travel costs and pre-booked shore excursions. No guests are being charged for added extras during the quarantine periods and a future cruise credit will also be given as extra compensation.
The outbreak started from a passenger who embarked on the vessel in Yokohama, Japan, on January 20, 2020. The guest, who was unaware he was infected, later tested positive for COVID-19 after disembarking on January 25 in Hong Kong. On February 4, 10 passengers tested positive for the virus and the Japanese authorities put the Diamond Princess under quarantine in Yokohama.
Full Diamond Princess coronavirus coverage latest to oldest:
- 456 Cases of Coronavirus Confirmed From Quarantined Cruise Ship
- Cruise Line Cancels Multiple Ship Itineraries in Asia
- British Passengers Furious While Those From U.S. Evacuated from Cruise Ship
- Coronavirus Infections Rise on Cruise Ship, Crew to Undergo Further Quarantine
- Another 44 Cases of COVID-19 Confirmed on Quarantined Cruise Ship
- Crew Members on Coronavirus Hit Cruise Ship to Get Two Months Paid Time Off
- Cruise Ship Under Quarantine Now Has 135 Confirmed Coronavirus Cases
- Passenger Coronavirus Count on Cruise Ship Increases Again
- Princess Cruise Ship Has 41 New Coronavirus Infections
- Confirmed Coronavirus Infections on Quarantined Cruise Ship Increases to 20
- 10 Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus on Quarantined Princess Cruise Ship
- Quarantined Cruise Ship Cancels Next Sailing as Guests Tested for Coronavirus
- Princess Cruise Ship Quarantined With 2,666 Guests Due to Coronavirus
Since the initial infection, the numbers have gone up and there have been a total of 624 cases of coronavirus on board, including passengers and crew. There were originally 2,666 guests on board and 1,045 crew members, though many who tested positive for infection during the quarantine have now been taken to medical facilities on land for further treatment.
Once all passengers have disembarked the cruise ship the crew might need to under a more formal quarantine. They will also be getting two months paid vacation and the ship will be taken out of action for a while as its condition is assessed.
As of this writing, the novel coronavirus, which first started in the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei Province, has infected more than 75,000 people around the world and the death tolls stand at over 2,000.
