MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th February, 2020) The number of people infected with the novel coronavirus on board of the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined in Japan's Yokohama has increased by 66, including six crew members, with the overall tally reaching 136 people.
The Japanese health officials are now planning to test all of nearly 3,700 passengers, adding that people would be able to disembark the ship only after their results have come back. This may lead to the extension of the initial quarantine deadline of February 19, though no timeline has been given for the process so far.
The vessel was put on quarantine on February 3 after one of its passengers, who disembarked the ship in Hong Kong in late January, tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus.
News of the rapid spike in the confirmed coronavirus cases on the ship has inevitably caused concerns of quarantined passengers.
"Blood pressure go[es] high. Stress and high anxiety ... I need to cry to get off the anxiety. Too much for today," passenger Yardley Wong from Hong Kong, who is stuck on the ship together with her family, tweeted after the captain's announcement.
"60 more sick. God save the Princess," another passenger, Shannon, tweeted along with a picture of a respirator mask handed out to those aboard after the announcement.
With nearly half of passengers reportedly 70 years or older, the quarantine has become particularly hard on those who have to regularly take medication as their supplies started to run out. An image of a woman putting out a Japanese flag with a sign reading 'shortage of medicine,' published by Japanese media on Wednesday, soon went viral, while relatives of some passengers took to Twitter to urge the ship's owner and Japanese authorities to properly address the issue.
User Matt K. (@Swiftwire1), who says his father is on the ship, tweeted that he had been "calling and begging for days" before his father was finally provided with much-needed insulin on Sunday. Michelle Leung, who says that her parents are on the Diamond Princess, tweeted on same day that her father received his prescription medicine, but only a five-day supply.
A group of some 30 passengers sent a hand-written complaint to the Japanese government, demanding that it organize room cleaning and provide those stuck on the ship with adequate food, medicine and fresh bedding. One of passengers, Tadashi Chida, told the NHK broadcaster on Monday that the situation on the ship was far from perfect despite reports of some positive changes.
"It has been reported that the medicine has arrived and that there is enough food, but the situation on the ship is different. My wife's medicine still has not been delivered. Counseling services are only available in English. Steak for dinner, which many of the elderly can't eat," Chida said.
The passengers said in their complaint sent to Tokyo that the information provided to them was insufficient, resulting in rapidly growing anxiety aboard the Diamond Princess.
"Information provided via onboard announcements is extremely limited, and many people rely on media reports. The disparity in information obtained by those who use [social networking services] SNS and those who do not use it is widening, which further intensifies the anxiety," the hand-written letter read.
The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare reportedly provided medication to nearly half of 1,850 people who requested prescription drugs for diabetes and other conditions, as of Monday morning, vowing to deliver the rest after Tuesday.
Quarantine in small cabins in small cabins, especially those without balconies and windows, has been taking emotional toll on most passengers. Thus, the decision to allow them to go to the deck for fresh air - though only for an hour at a time and a meter away from fellow passengers - was welcomed by all.
"Thank you @PrincessCruises for the hour outside!! Feel like a human again!" Clare Hedger, a passenger from Melbourne, Australia, wrote on Twitter.
In an effort to entertain guests stuck on the ship, the staff has also been distributing Phase-10 card game, origami and daily Sudoku to cabins. Some passengers found solace in watching the Oscars over breakfast on Monday.
"The Oscars are on in our room. It's been many [years] since we've had a chance to watch it live � we never have time to watch the live or replay. Now we have plenty of time," Aun Na Tan, who got stuck on the ship with her husband and two teenage children, tweeted.
Wong posted a picture of an Oscars 2020 ballot, where passengers could vote for their favorite movies, apparently handed out by the ship's staff before the ceremony.
The ship's owner, Princess Cruises, announced on Monday that it would refund the full cruise fare for all guests and give them a future cruise credit equal to the fare paid for the voyage.
The new strain of coronavirus � 2019-nCoV � was first detected in China's city of Wuhan, in the central Hubei province, in December and has since spread to more than 20 countries. Currently, more than 40,000 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed globally. The death toll exceeds 900.
