Ambulances are on standby at the cruise terminal in Yokohama Port, Japan, where the large cruise ship 'Diamond Princess' is docked on the 7th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Local media including Kyodo News reported on the 9th that six additional confirmed cases were identified on the Japanese cruise ship "Diamond Princess," where a cluster infection of the novel coronavirus (Wuhan pneumonia) occurred.
Kyodo News and TV Asahi, citing the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, reported that among 57 cruise ship passengers who had been near infected individuals, six were confirmed to be infected after testing.
Accordingly, the number of novel coronavirus infections that have occurred since the Diamond Princess docked off Yokohama Port on the 3rd of this month has increased to 70. Currently, about 100 of the approximately 3,600 passengers remaining on the cruise ship are showing symptoms such as fever, so the number of confirmed cases may increase.
The Japanese government is also considering testing all cruise ship passengers and crew members for the novel coronavirus. Kato Katsunobu, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, appeared on Fuji News Network (FNN) on the same day and stated this, pledging to make every effort to support medical and hygiene fields on the cruise ship. There are also reports that passengers in quarantine are facing difficulties due to shortages of daily necessities and medicines on the cruise ship.
Additionally, Kyodo News reported that the cruise operator "Carnival Japan" has canceled five planned voyages of this cruise ship. Carnival Japan is the Japanese subsidiary of the multinational corporation "Carnival Corporation & PLC," headquartered in the United States and the United Kingdom.
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