Five Australians among 41 fresh coronavirus cases on board cruise ship

Another 41 passengers have tested positive for coronavirus on a cruise liner off Japan.

Health officials in protective gear transfer infected Diamond Princess passengers to ambulances.

Health officials transfer Diamond Princess passengers found infected with coronavirus from a Japan Coast Guard patrol boat to ambulances. Source: Kydpl Kyodo

Another 41 people - including five Australians - on a cruise liner off Japan have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total confirmed from the ship to 61.

The new cases were out of the 171 remaining test results, Japan's health minister has said. 

Local media quoted health authorities as saying five Australians were among that group, bringing the total number of infected Australian passengers to seven. 

The drastic jump in infected passengers on the cruise vessel comes as the cruise ship was under the two-week quarantine with about 3,700 people inside.
Carnival's Diamond Princess was caught up in the global coronavirus epidemic after an 80-year-old Hong Kong man tested positive for the virus after disembarking late last month.

The ship arrived in Yokohama on Monday after a 14-day round trip.

Cairns couple Paul and Jacqui Fidrmuc told AAP the situation was "frightening" and they were learning more from the media than from the cruise company.

They said their medical testing took only one minute and now it's just a matter of waiting.

Another passenger, American novelist Gay Courter, said the vessel docked in the port to take on supplies, with food delivery to rooms very slow.

"It's surprising how the ship that was turning out 5000 gourmet meals three times a day has found it difficult to deliver sandwiches and one hot meal. Where did they put the escargot and sushi?" she told Reuters.
A handout photo from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that has been quarantined in Japan.
A handout photo from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that has been quarantined in Japan. Source: David Abel, Facebook
Japan is arranging to send a fourth chartered plane to Wuhan to pick up about 200 people, chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference.

These are likely to include Chinese spouses as well as Japanese.

The city of Naha in Okinawa Prefecture is on high alert after the ship made a port call there last Saturday, with 13 passengers leaving the ship for good and many of the rest spending the day touring the tropical island.

Many of the passengers also entered Taiwan for a one-day trip when the boat anchored at the northern port of Keelung on 31 January, according to Taiwan's immigration authority, with local media saying they probably visited several popular tourist sites in Taipei.

Officials and experts in Tokyo are also worried the outbreak may have an impact on the 2020 Games starting in July.

with wires...


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Five Australians among 41 fresh coronavirus cases on board cruise ship | SBS News