Ukrainian crew members aboard the Diamond Princess ship, which has been quarantined in the Japanese port of Yokohama for nearly a month over coronavirus infections, have refused to evacuate to Ukraine either due to contractual obligations or by choice, Maksym Kovalenko, head of the operational crisis group of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's state consular service, said on Tuesday
KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th February, 2020) Ukrainian crew members aboard the Diamond Princess ship, which has been quarantined in the Japanese port of Yokohama for nearly a month over coronavirus infections, have refused to evacuate to Ukraine either due to contractual obligations or by choice, Maksym Kovalenko, head of the operational crisis group of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's state consular service, said on Tuesday.
"Their obligations are determined by the contract; their desire is also taken into account. So far, 24 of them said that they did not intend to return to Ukraine now. We are still trying to establish contact with another Ukrainian," Kovalenko said, as quoted by the Hromadske Radio broadcaster.
There were 25 Ukrainians on the liner, all of them crew members, before two were hospitalized, the diplomat said.
The Ukrainian foreign and health ministries, and embassy in Japan are ready to act should they change their minds, he added.
Ukraine made headlines last week due to the clashes that erupted between police and residents of the Novy Sanzhary town, which was chosen as a quarantine destination for 45 Ukrainians and 27 foreigners evacuated from China.
The Diamond Princess cruise ship left the port of Yokohama on January 20 and returned on February 3. Japanese authorities placed the liner under quarantine for two weeks after it was discovered that a former passenger had contracted the coronavirus disease, or COVID-19. At the start of the quarantine there were 3,711 passengers and crew on board. As of Monday, 691 passengers have been infected. The first two fatalities were confirmed last week.
As of Tuesday, the COVID-19 outbreak has infected a total of over 80,000 people worldwide and killed 2,699 patients. Recovery rates are on the rise, however, with 27,671 patients currently having been discharged from hospitals around the globe.
