67 Passengers on Japanese Cruise Ship Test Positive for COVID-19

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] Japanese local media reported on the 15th that an additional 67 cases of COVID-19 infection were confirmed on the cruise ship "Diamond Princess," docked at Yokohama Port, Japan, where a cluster of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases occurred.

According to Kyodo News and others, Kato Katsunobu, Japan's Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, announced this at a press conference on the same day.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the cruise ship docked in Japan has increased to 285, of which 38 are asymptomatic.

About 3,700 passengers and crew were aboard the Diamond Princess, which docked at Yokohama Port on the 3rd. Among them, patients confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 and elderly passengers aged 80 or older who tested negative for COVID-19 have disembarked, leaving about 3,400 still on board.

The Japanese government initially conducted COVID-19 tests focusing on passengers aged 80 and above and plans to extend testing to passengers in their 70s and those under 70 in the future.

According to Japanese health authorities, passengers who tested negative will disembark starting from the 19th. Minister Kato expects that most passengers will leave the ship around the 19th. However, passengers who shared a room with infected individuals are expected to remain on board after the 19th to prevent further spread of the infection.

Among the cruise ship passengers, American citizens are scheduled to return to the United States on the 17th via a chartered flight prepared by the U.S. government from Haneda Airport, Kyodo News reported citing Japanese government officials. The U.S. Embassy in Japan arranged for American passengers to be transported by bus from Yokohama Port to Haneda Airport.

The Japanese government also plans to cooperate with the evacuation of foreign nationals other than U.S. citizens aboard the cruise ship if their respective countries wish to evacuate them, Kyodo News reported citing multiple government sources.

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