Coronavirus Cases Double On Cruise Ship In Japan With Nearly 160 Indians On Board

[Abdul Rehman Majeed]

Coronavirus Cases Double On Cruise Ship In Japan With Nearly 160 Indians On Board

One of the Indian crew members had posted a Facebook video on Friday, appealing the Indian government to evacuate them from the ship.

By Meryl Sebastian

CARL COURT VIA GETTY IMAGES
A member of the media wearing a face mask walks past the Diamond Princess cruise ship at Daikoku Pier where it is being resupplied and newly diagnosed coronavirus cases taken for treatment as it remains in quarantine after a number of the 3,700 people on board were diagnosed with coronavirus, on February 10, 2020 in Yokohama, Japan.


The number of people diagnosed with the novel coronavirus on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship nearly doubled to 130 on Monday, Japan’s national broadcaster NHK said. Sixty-six new infections of the coronavirus have been confirmed on board, the ship’s operator, Princess Cruises, said in a statement.

The Diamond Princess has been in quarantine since February 4, when it arrived off the Japanese coast, after the virus was detected in a former passenger who got off the ship last month in Hong Kong.

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The cruise ship has between 138 and 160 Indians among its 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew members, according to reports.

One of the Indian crew members had posted a Facebook video on Friday, appealing the Indian government to evacuate them from the ship.

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“We are in a grave, dangerous situation. Yesterday, 21 passengers tested positive for coronavirus. Today, the number went up to 62. As many as 41 passengers and two crew were quarantined just now. There are 160 Indians among the crew members. Panic over coronavirus is growing,” Binay Kumar Sarkar said in the video.

“All we want from the Indian government is that we are taken out and kept at an isolated place. Family members are worried. We are scared. We just want to disembark somehow. Please help us,” he said.

On Saturday, Sarkar spoke to The Telegraph via WhatsApp and said the Indian embassy in Japan reached out to him. “A medical team has been posted at the cruise liner. I am grateful to the state government as initiatives are being taken for my return to India by February 17,” he said.

KIM KYUNG HOON / REUTERS
Passengers are seen in their cabins on the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, Japan February 7, 2020.
Sarkar told NDTV that there was full-fledged panic on-board and in a video recorded on board the ship he appealed to the Narendra Modi government to bring people back safely.

Last week, foreign minister S Jaishankar said none of the Indians on the ship had tested positive for the virus and the ministry was closely following developments.


Dr. S. Jaishankar

✔@DrSJaishankar
https://twitter.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1225785645546823680

Many Indian crew & some Indian passengers are onboard the cruise ship #DiamondPrincess quarantined off Japan due to #Coronavirus. None have tested positive, as per the latest information provided by our Embassy @IndianEmbTokyo. We are closely following the developments.


3,260
9:17 AM - Feb 7, 2020 · New Delhi, India
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On Monday, the Indian Embassy in Tokyo tweeted out an email ID for queries regarding the Indians on the quarantined ship:


India in Japanインド大使館

✔@IndianEmbTokyo
https://twitter.com/IndianEmbTokyo/status/1226743958157447168

Many Indian crew & some Indian passengers are onboard the cruise ship #DiamondPrincess quarantined off Japan due to #Coronavirus (#nCoV). In this context, any query please contact First Secretary (Consular) @IndianEmbTokyo at fscons.tokyo@mea.gov.in @CPVIndia @MEAIndia @PMOIndia


11
12:45 AM - Feb 10, 2020
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AFP reports that when the boat arrived off Japan, authorities initially tested nearly 300 people for the virus of the 3,711 on board, gradually evacuating dozens who were infected to local medical facilities.

The ship’s two-week-long quarantine ends on February 19.

For some, the quarantine could be even longer. A World Health Organization statement late on Sunday said the period could be extended “as appropriate” for close contacts of newly confirmed cases.

“Lots of the passengers now are getting a bit of cabin fever,” British passenger David Able said in a video posted on Facebook. “Depression is starting to set in.”

Another said he hoped assurances about the effectiveness of quarantine and ventilation on board would prove true.

“I will get nervous if we pass 200,” said the 43-year-old Hong Kong resident quarantined on the boat with his wife, child and several others of his family.

CARL COURT VIA GETTY IMAGES
A passenger gestures after hanging a banner reading "please broadcast this on TV" (R) next to banners reading "thank you for reporting this" (C) and "shortage of medicine" (L) on the Diamond Princess cruise ship at Daikoku Pier where it is being resupplied and newly diagnosed coronavirus cases taken for treatment as it remains in quarantine, February 10, 2020 in Yokohama, Japan.
The quarantine has made life on board the ship difficult, particularly for those in windowless interior cabins and a significant number of passengers who require medication for various chronic conditions, AFP reports.

According to Reuters, small groups are allowed out on deck every other day— with priority given to those whose rooms don’t have windows—but must wear masks and stay well away from other people. People have been given thermometers to regularly monitor their temperatures.

The disease has killed 908 people, chiefly in mainland China, and infected more than 40,000.

https://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry...-indians-on-board_in_5e4125b7c5b6b7088703ef13

 

[Uguduwa]

shit,....... I hope this doesn't spread in India. The amount of Indian tourists SL gets, SL would be hard hit quickly.

 

[Abdul Rehman Majeed]

shit,....... I hope this doesn't spread in India. The amount of Indian tourists SL gets, SL would be hard hit quickly.

There are multiple cruise ships that have been impacted.


Coronavirus: Thousands on cruise ship allowed to disembark after tests

• 10 February 2020

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• Coronavirus outbreak

Image copyrightEPA
Image captionPassengers have been allowed to disembark the World Dream cruise ship
Thousands of people stuck on a cruise ship in Hong Kong for four days have been allowed to disembark after tests for coronavirus came back negative.

Some 3,600 passengers and crew on the World Dream ship were quarantined amid fears some staff could have contracted the virus on a previous voyage.

Another cruise ship where dozens of cases have been confirmed remains in quarantine off Japan.

The outbreak has killed 910 people, all but two in mainland China.

The coronavirus has now killed more people than Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome). In 2003, that epidemic killed 774 people in more than two dozen countries.

In the Chinese province of Hubei alone, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, more than 800 people have died, according to regional health officials.

More than 40,000 have been infected worldwide, the vast majority in China.

Why was the ship quarantined?
The World Dream was put in quarantine on Wednesday after it emerged that three passengers who had sailed on a previous voyage were later found to have contracted the virus.

Chief port health officer Leng Yiu-Hong said all crew members - some 1,800 people - had tested negative for coronavirus, and that everyone would be allowed to disembark without the need to self-quarantine after leaving.

• WHO warns against coronavirus 'trolls'
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On Sunday, Hong Kong's health minister said 468 people had been ordered to stay at home, in hotel rooms or government-run centres, one day after officials implemented a mandatory two-week quarantine period for anyone arriving from mainland China.

Media caption"I feel so happy," says passenger after leaving quarantined cruise ship
In mainland China, millions of people were preparing to return to work after an extended Lunar New Year break, imposed in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus. However, a high number of companies and businesses will remain closed and many people are expected to work from home.

In Hebei province, which surrounds the capital Beijing, state media reported schools would remain shut until at least 1 March, while many parts of Hubei province remain on lockdown. Other areas are under severe travel and gathering restrictions.

What else is happening?
Several more cases were confirmed on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has been in quarantine in the Japanese city of Yokohama for nearly a week, the Kyodo news agency reports. Authorities said on Saturday 64 people had been infected on the ship, which is carrying some 3,700 passengers and crew.

On Saturday, the chief of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the virus was still concentrated in Hubei, and that it appeared that the number of cases had stabilised slightly over the previous four days.

Dr Tedros, who previously praised the Chinese government for its measures at the epicentre of the outbreak, reiterated that the slowdown was "an opportunity" to contain the virus.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, China's ambassador to the UK said it was still "very difficult to predict when we're going to have an inflection point", but that the "isolation and quarantine measures have been very effective".

Liu Xiaoming called the disease "the enemy of mankind", but said it was "controllable, preventable, curable" and told people not to panic.

Media captionThe BBC's online health editor on what we know about the virus
Meanwhile, concerns were growing about the whereabouts of Chinese lawyer and blogger Chen Qiushi, who had posted online videos including of conditions inside hospitals and people queuing up for masks in Wuhan, in Hubei province. Mr Chen, whose content was being widely shared, has been missing since Thursday.

There are unconfirmed reports that he may have been forced into quarantine. In an interview with the BBC last week, he said he was not sure how long he would be allowed to continue to report on the outbreak, saying: "The censorship is so strict, people's accounts are being closed down if they share my content".

His disappearance comes amid widespread anger and grief across China over the death of Li Wenliang, a doctor who tried to warn fellow medics about the virus in December but was told by police to "stop making false comments" and investigated for "spreading rumours".

China has been criticised for its initial handling of the outbreak and accused of trying, in some cases, to keep news of it secret. But Ambassador Liu put the blame of Dr Li's case on local authorities, saying: "[Dr Li] will be remembered as a hero... and for his brave contribution".

In other developments:

• A fourth case has been confirmed in the UK, of a person who contracted the virus in France
• A British man tested positive in Mallorca, the second case in Spain
• More than 200 British and foreign nationals evacuated from Wuhan arrived at RAF Brize Norton

Last month, the WHO declared a global health emergency over the new outbreak. Of the two deaths reported outside China, one was in Hong Kong and the other in the Philippines.

Related Topics

 

[PakSword]

@BHarwana @RescueRanger

So whatz going on here? Any updates?

China confirms coronavirus is airborne

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/china-confirms-coronavirus-is-airborne/ar-BBZOXg2

The deadly coronavirus is airborne, a Shanghai official has confirmed.

On Saturday it was announced the virus can now spread via aerosol transmission - meaning it can drift through the air for an extended period of time and cause infection if breathed in.

"Aerosol transmission refers to the mixing of the virus with droplets in the air to form aerosols which causes infection after inhalation," Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau deputy head Zeng Qun is quoted as saying by China Daily.

"As such we have called on the public to raise their awareness of the prevention and control of the disease."

The Chinese government is urging residents to cancel all social activities and avoid large gatherings of people, reports China Daily.

The discovery of the disease being airborne means coronavirus now has three modes of transmission.

Direct transmission occurs when a person breathes the air close to an infected person who has coughed or sneezed.

Contact transmission is when a person touches a contaminated surface then infects themselves by touching their mouth, eyes or nose.

Coronavirus broke out in the city of Wuhan in China's Hubei province in late December. Thought to have originated in a live market, the disease causes fever, coughing and breathing difficulty. In severe cases it can cause pneumonia and organ failure.

The virus has killed more than 800 people and infected 37,198 globally.

Only two people have died outside of mainland China - one in Hong Kong and the other in the Philippines.

 

[Pandora]

Indians on twitter were laughing rejoicing at prospects of Virus being spread in Pakistan and our lack of facilities to contain it. Now that Indians are getting Infected i can't even begin to imagine wishing them in kind. I really hope it doesn't spread in India.

 

[PakSword]

Indians on twitter were laughing rejoicing at prospects of Virus being spread in Pakistan and our lack of facilities to contain it. Now that Indians are getting Infected i can't even begin to imagine wishing them in kind. I really hope it doesn't spread in India.

They will not bring infected Indians back.. The bravado ends on bringing healthy citizens back only.. Rest of the Indians are headache of other countries..

 

[Raj-Hindustani]

Indians on twitter were laughing rejoicing at prospects of Virus being spread in Pakistan and our lack of facilities to contain it. Now that Indians are getting Infected i can't even begin to imagine wishing them in kind. I really hope it doesn't spread in India.

Why people always targeting to India????

If anyone need to criticize (Specially Pakistani friends) than start from China... because their consumption's of some exotic and dangerous animal like rat and bats, this virus issue started and it is spreading from China only..

But _ I do not criticize China because it can happen in anywhere....

Also not a single Pakistani criticize them in any thread... but if comes to India then everyone jump on the criticism bus.

Many other people (other countries) are also infected by virus but no one shows interest to criticize.

Till now, India has manage perfectly on this issue after taking right decision to evaluate own people from China.... I must say that people from across countries should not worry about India..... We are capable and can manage by own...