The world's most luxurious petri dish/prison ship that keeps on growing.
Quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship has 39 new cases, bringing total to 174
MORGAN HINES AND JULIA THOMPSON | Feb 11, 2020
Princess Cruises announced Tuesday that 39 additional people have tested positive for coronavirus on
Diamond Princess, bringing the total number of people on the ship that have fallen ill with the virus to 174; at least 20 of them are American.
"We are following guidance from the Japan Ministry of Health on plans for disembarkation protocols to provide medical care for these new cases," Princess Cruises said in a statement provided by Negin Kamali, director of public relations.
The ship was carrying 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew when it set sail on Jan. 20 and is now quarantined at Yokohama pier. The Diamond Princess is scheduled to remain under quarantine until Feb. 19.
The coronavirus, which was first identified in Wuhan, China, has spread across the globe with 45,113 confirmed cases and 1,114 deaths as of Tuesday evening, and the coronavirus death toll has now surpassed the
SARS outbreak of 2002 to 2003. The majority of the cases are in mainland China. Common signs of infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.
Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Japanese authorities initially decided quarantining people on the Diamond Princess cruise ship was the best option. She said during an event Tuesday at the National Press Club that the increasing number of infected individuals on the ship is prompting officials to "look critically" about the safest thing to do for all on board.
"I think the issue is what are the options available? Finding the best option, given what we know right now about how much spread has already occurred and how many are still susceptible," she said. "It’s just an extremely difficult issue. For the passengers, the crew and their families, it is extremely difficult."
Schuchat noted the ship has a lot of elderly people on board. "What’s the best way to safely offload them, if they are going to be offloaded?"
'It's almost like we're on the ship alone'
Passengers on the ship have been instructed to stay in their suites or cabins during the quarantine.
Those in interior cabins with no window or outdoor access have been able to go on deck for up to an hour and a half but must stay at least 3 feet from fellow passengers, Matt Smith, an attorney from Sacramento, California,
told USA TODAY on Friday.
Smith says the situation is “inconvenient,” but that he and his travel companion, Katherine Codekas, are comfortable, with fresh water and electricity, and meals dropped off at the door by the ship’s crew.
Internet service has sometimes been spotty, but he said the cruise line has provided more on-demand movies and added live TV channels to help passengers while in quarantine. They requested and received clean sheets but changed the bed themselves after crew members dropped them at the door to avoid close contact.
Status updates from the ship’s captain have increased and improved as the quarantine has gone on, Smith said.
On Monday, Smith told USA TODAY that they are still doing fine, though they had a moment of worry hearing about more confirmed cases. As for how the atmosphere is on the ship, he said it's hard to tell, isolated in their cabin.
"It's almost like we're on the ship alone except for the crew who bring us food and things and occasional voices from nearby balconies," he said.
On Tuesday, Rai Caluori, Princess Cruises' executive vice president of fleet operations,
announced in a Facebook video that "more than 2,000 prescription medications have been brought on board" for passengers.
"One of our highest priorities has been to provide guests and crew with their prescription medications," Caluori added. "Seven new pharmacists have been assisting in the assorting, delivery and distribution to guests."
Laundry service is also available, Caluori said.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...-america-cruise-ship-disembarking/4714464002/