At least 10 persons aboard the Japan cruise ship in Yokohama tested positive for novel coronavirus, including a Filipino crew member.
Princess Cruises confirmed that the first phase of health screening of all guests and crew onboard Diamond Princess cruise ship, which is currently quarantined in Yokohama, Japan, has been completed.
“We were notified that amongst the samples that have completed testing, 10 people have tested positive for Coronavirus. This includes two Australian guests, three Japanese guests, three guests from Hong Kong, and one guest from the U.S. in addition to one Filipino crewmember,” Princess Cruises said in a statement.
The 10 were brought to hospitals on shore with help from the Japanese coast guard.
The Diamond Princess has been quarantined since Monday night after an 80-year-old man from Hong Kong who had been on the ship tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The man disembarked in Hong Kong and is no longer on the ship.
He visited a local Hong Kong hospital, six days after leaving the ship, where he later tested positive for coronavirus on February 1.
The company said that there are 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew currently onboard covering a range of nationalities. Approximately half the guests onboard are from Japan.
Tests for the virus were administered to 273 people on the ship who had symptoms such as fever or who had close contact with the infected man.
Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said Japan “will take full measures to prevent the infection from spreading.”
