Amid Coronavirus fear, Indian embassy in Japan said said on Saturday that who are still on board cruise ship ‘Diamond Princess’ moored off the Japanese coast will be tested for the novel Coronavirus infection along with others on the vessel by the Japanese authorities as all the healthy passengers deboarded after the quarantine period ended.
A total of 138 Indians, including 132 crew and 6 passengers, were among the 3,711 people, on board the ship when it docked. Till now, eight Indians have tested positive for the COVID-19 and are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Japan.
The Indian embassy in Tokyo tweeted, “All Indian nationals, amongst others, onboard Diamond Princess will be tested for COVID-19 by Japanese authorities, after all passengers disembarked yesterday (Friday),”
All Indian nationals, amongst others, onboard #DiamondPrincess will be tested for #COVID19 by Japanese authorities, after all passengers disembarked yesterday. @IndianEmbTokyo sincerely hopes that none will show any sign of #COVID19, enabling further facilitation. @MEAIndia
— India in Japanインド大使館 (@IndianEmbTokyo) February 22, 2020
“Indian Embassy Tokyo sincerely hopes that none will show any sign of COVID-19, enabling further facilitation,” it said.
The last batch of passengers showing no signs of the deadly disease deboarded the ship on Friday after the end of the quarantine period.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that over 1,000 passengers and crew will remain on board the ship after Friday’s disembarkation.
The condition of the infected Indians is improving, the embassy said.
“No additional new cases in respect of Indian nationals testing positive for COVID-19 since yesterday (Friday) on board Diamond Princess,” Indian embassy tweeted.
As of 1000 JST, no additional new cases in respect of Indian nationals testing positive for #COVID19 since yesterday onboard #DiamondPrincess. @IndianEmbTokyo keeps itself updated with the conditions of 8 Indian nationals, earlier tested positive, who are improving. @MEAIndia
— India in Japanインド大使館 (@IndianEmbTokyo) February 22, 2020
The ship docked at the Yokohama port, near Tokyo, on February 3 with 3,711 passengers and crew on board. It was quarantined after a passenger who disembarked last month in Hong Kong was found to be the carrier of the disease.
Some of the passengers with no infection began leaving the ship on Wednesday after the end of a two-week quarantine period that failed to stop the spread of the virus among passengers and crew.
The ship has the largest cluster of COVID-19 cases outside China. A total of 634 people tested positive for the disease. Two former passengers of the ship have also died.
The overall death toll in mainland China due to the deadly Coronavirus has increased to 2,345, while the number of confirmed cases reached 76,288, according to the health authorities on Saturday.
A team of WHO experts, which is currently in the country to investigate the COVID-19 outbreak, is expected to visit the worst-affected Wuhan city on Saturday.
The novel Coronavirus outbreak has caused alarm as it has crossed global fatalities in the 2002-03 SARS epidemic.