Feb 08 (Japan Times) - Fears of an epidemic on board a cruise ship off Yokohama came to a head Friday as the health ministry reported 41 more coronavirus infections, bringing the total to 61 so far.
Health minister Katsunobu Kato said the new cases on board the Diamond Princess emerged from the remaining 171 samples taken from 273 passengers who showed symptoms or who had close contact with symptomatic passengers.
Kato said the health ministry is planning to expand the testing to cover seniors and people with pre-existing conditions.
Elsewhere, authorities in Taiwan confirmed the same day that a cruise ship off Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, that was not allowed to dock in Japan will be allowed to return to Keelung, near Taipei, according to local media reports.
The approval came a day after Taiwan’s ban on cruise ships took effect amid the mass outbreak on the Diamond Princess.
The 41 infected passengers reported Friday on the Diamond Princess range in age from their 20s to their 80s. Twenty-one of them are Japanese citizens, he said.About 3,700 passengers and crew members were on the Diamond Princess when it was put under a two-week quarantine off Yokohama on Wednesday. They won’t be allowed to disembark until at least Feb. 19, Princess Cruises said.
The ship came to the attention of medical authorities when it was revealed that a man who left it on Jan. 25 in Hong Kong was infected. Two people who had close contact with him later tested positive for the coronavirus.
