39 New COVID-19 Cases on Japanese Cruise... Total Increases to 174

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Following the confirmation of a novel coronavirus (Wuhan pneumonia) case, an additional 39 infections have been identified on the cruise ship 'Diamond Princess,' which is docked at Yokohama Port in Japan, bringing the total number of infections on board to 174. Consequently, criticism is mounting that the Japanese government's decision to quarantine passengers in their cabins after initially failing to contain the outbreak was a critical mistake. Japanese health authorities plan to keep all approximately 3,600 passengers and crew members quarantined in their cabins until the 19th, and the number of infections is expected to rise further.

According to Japanese local media such as NHK, on the 12th, Katsunobu Kato, Japan's Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, announced at a morning press conference that "39 additional infections have been confirmed on the cruise ship." This brings the total number of infections on board, including passengers and crew, to 174. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare also reported that one quarantine officer, who was conducting inspections on the ship separately from the passengers, tested positive. The Japanese government classified this quarantine officer as a domestic infection case, unlike the passengers. Combining infections on the cruise ship and other cases, the total number of infections in Japan has risen to 203.

As infections on the cruise ship have surged rapidly, criticism of the Japanese health authorities' response has intensified. The Japanese government first received information from Hong Kong authorities on the 2nd of this month about confirmed cases on the cruise ship but took no significant action until the 5th, three days later, when passengers were quarantined in their cabins, marking a failure in initial containment efforts. Subsequently, the entire group of approximately 3,600 people on board was quarantined inside the ship, and slow virus testing created an environment that facilitated a rapid increase in confirmed cases on board, drawing further criticism.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare stated the day before that it was considering testing all passengers, but due to a shortage of virus testing equipment, immediate implementation is expected to be difficult. Japanese health authorities plan to keep the ship docked at Yokohama Port until the 19th and continue quarantining all passengers on board.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.