Coronavirus cases on Carnival’s quarantined Diamond Princess cruise in Japan jump to 61
Another 41 people aboard a quarantined cruise from Miami-based Carnival Corp. have tested positive for the coronavirus, swelling the count of total infected people on the Japan cruise to 61.
The new cases, first reported by The Washington Post, were the result of “targeted screening samples” taken of the 3,711 passengers on the Diamond Princess, a Carnival cruise ship that is being held for 14 days in Yokohama, a city south of capital Tokyo.
On Tuesday, 10 people had tested positive for the virus. By Wednesday, 10 more cases were confirmed.
Thursday’s news more than doubles the 20 cases.
Eight of the 41 new people who tested positive are U.S. citizens, Princess Cruises said Thursday evening. Five are from Canada, five from Australia, one from United Kingdom, one from Argentina and the other 21 are from Japan., the cruise line said.
The Japanese Ministry of Health confirmed that no more people will be tested and the quarantine is slated to end on Feb. 19.
A spokesperson for Carnival’s Princess said in a statement Thursday that all passengers were expected to be disembarked and transported to local hospitals “immediately.”
“The health and safety of our guests and crew remains our top priority,” the statement read. “We continue to work closely with the Japan Ministry of Health on all protocols and procedures while ensuring the comfort and well-being of our guests.”
The cruise line said guests will continue to have free internet and telephone service to connect with family members. The cruise’s crew is delivering games, puzzles and trivia to individual rooms to keep passengers busy.
The Japanese government turned away on Thursday another cruise operated by Carnival that was scheduled to visit Japan on Feb. 15. The Holland America Line Westerdam ship was set to pick up more passengers in Yokohama.
Miami Herald staff writer Taylor Dolven contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 6, 2020 at 9:51 PM.
