People on Virus-Hit Cruise Ship Stranded Off Japan Ordered to Stay in Cabins – Eyewitness

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Princess Cruises, the ship’s operator, has confirmed that 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew members are on board the vessel. The 10 people infected with coronavirus will be taken offshore and receive treatment in Japan, according to a statement released by the operator on Tuesday.

A UK passenger on board the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship, on which 10 people were confirmed to be infected with a new strain of coronavirus told the Sky News broadcaster on Wednesday that all passengers had been ordered to remain in their cabins.

David Abel, a passenger from the United Kingdom, told the broadcaster that the ship’s captain said on the public address system at 06:30 local time [21:30 GMT on Tuesday] that passengers could not leave their cabins for any reason, and that all food would be delivered by the ship’s crew. The ship has been anchored near the Japanese port city of Yokohama.

Workers in protective gear on board a Japan Coast Guard boat transfer a person wrapped in a white sheet (background L, in shadow) from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama on 5 February 2020. - Thousands were marooned on a cruise ship off the Japanese coast, after medics evacuated 10 people infected with the deadly coronavirus, with many facing an anxious wait for their own test results.

© AFP 2023 / STR

The lockdown on board the ship was creating problems for Abel, who told the broadcaster that he is an insulin-dependent diabetic, which makes it necessary for him to adhere to a strict dietary schedule.

Earlier on Wednesday, Japan’s Health Minister Katsunobu Kato confirmed that 10 passengers on the vessel had been infected with the new form of viral pneumonia. He also advised that the ship would be quarantined for two weeks, and all passengers would be required to remain on board.

The new strain of coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan in late December and has since spread to more than 20 countries. There are more than 490 confirmed deaths worldwide so far, with over 24,600 confirmed cases of the virus globally.