Third Indian tests positive for coronavirus on board quarantined Japanese cruise

By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi | Updated: February 14, 2020 5:33:23 pm

Passengers wearing mask are seen on the cruise ship Diamond Princess, as the vessel’s passengers continue to be tested for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama. (Reuters)

One more Indian has been tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess off the Japanese coast, the Indian Embassy in Japan confirmed on Friday.

This is the third confirmed case of Indian nationals testing positive for the deadly coronavirus, which has claimed lives of over 1,100 people in China.

On Wednesday, two Indian nationals had tested positive, Indian government sources said. The Diamond Princess cruise ship, currently docked off the coast of Yokohama, Japan, has 3,711 people on board, including 132 crew members and six passengers who are Indian nationals.

“1 more Indian crew member on #DiamondPrincess tested positive for #COVID-19 and hospitalized for treatment. Earlier, 2 more Indian nationals had tested positive. @IndianEmbTokyo is in contact with all 3, whose conditions are stable and improving,” the Embassy tweeted.

In a statement released on the update of Indian nationals on board the Japanese cruise ship, the Embassy said that apart from the three people, no other Indian has developed any symptoms of the disease yet.

The statement added that the Indian Embassy in Tokyo has contacted all the three Indian nationals who had tested positive and are currently undergoing treatment at the medical facilities.

It added that the health condition of all of them has been reported to be stable and improving.

Japan quarantined the ship as one passenger who had disembarked at Hong Kong on January 25 was found to be infected with the virus on February 1. Taking into account the maximum incubation period of 14 days for the coronavirus, Japan has quarantined the cruise ship at Yokohama for 14 days.

The quarantine period started from February 5 and will end on February 19.

Meanwhile, Singapore on Friday reported nine new cases of coronavirus, taking the tally to 67.

The death toll due to the outbreak in China rose to 1,355 while the number of new cases soared by 14,840 – also a daily record – to a total of 48,206 cases, Reuters reported.

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