Victorian family trapped on coronavirus cruise ship in Japan
A Victorian family trapped on a cruise ship which has been swept up in the coronavirus crisis, is trying to “stay calm” as they spend their holiday locked in their cabin waiting for answers on when they can return home. Twenty passengers have so far tested positive to the virus.
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Victorians stuck on a cruise ship in lockdown off Japan after coronavirus was detected have told how they’re trying to keep their spirits up amid the ordeal.
More than 200 Australians are believed to be aboard the Diamond Princess, which is circling off Yokohama.
Twenty passengers have now been confirmed with coronavirus, after ten new cases tested positive today
The Japanese health ministry said today the 10 new cases came back positive from 71 people tested. They will be taken to hospitals in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Rowville mum Aun Na Tan, travelling with her husband and two children, said everyone on board was under instructions to stay in their cabins.
Food was being delivered to their door as the ship remained in lockdown.
“We are trying to keep calm and positive — especially with the kids,’’ Ms Tan told the Herald Sun.
“The captain and crew have been doing their best with the situation under the direction of the Japan Health Ministry officials.
“We are trying to keep our spirits high given the circumstances.
“We are currently requested to stay in the room.
“We haven’t been told that it is for all 14 days that we need to stay in the cabin.
“I think the situation will evolve depending on whether more people succumb to the virus or if we don’t have any more cases develop.
The family, who booked the cruise in October last year, had been embarking on a dream getaway when coronavirus was detected on the Diamond Princess.
“We were looking forward to a bit of time away in cooler climates given the horrendous summer we have been having,’’ Ms Tan said.
“It was also a bit of a holiday before the kids return to school.
“We love cruises. This would have been our fourth and the kids’ third cruise.”
Bendigo woman Laura Tangey, also on the Carnival cruise ship, said the first time passengers heard they were being tested was a few days ago.
“Japanese authorities took me and tested me with a swab,” Ms Tangey told 3AW radio.
“We haven’t received results but I’m assuming I’m negative at the moment.
“It’s a bit of a cramped situation for our family.”
Many would-be holiday-makers on board were unsure how they would be transported to their home countries as a result of the cruise ship’s delay.
“We don’t even know how we’re going to get home,” Ms Tangey said.
“Our flight was on Saturday and we’re not going to make that flight.”
Everyone on the Diamond Princess has been placed in mandatory quarantine for 14 days.
Sarah Arana, on holiday from California, said: “This was obviously very unexpected but I’m trying to make the best of it.”
“It’s just so very surreal,’’ Ms Arana told the Herald Sun.
“You plan your holiday, save a lot of money to take a trip and then all of this unfolds right before your eyes.
“I literally couldn’t have made this up
“Now here we are — ordered to stay on this ship for a mandatory quarantine and stay in our tiny cabins. At the same time, I know everyone is thinking the same thing: ‘Am I next? Will I get sick? Will it hurt? Will I survive?’
“It’s just crazy.”
British passenger David Abel captured scenes inside the vessel, with usually busy public spaces almost empty.
Unstaffed reception desks could be seen in what Mr Abel described as “usually a busy thoroughfare”, while quarantine officials could be seen wearing face masks on deck five.
The bar was pictured almost empty, and it was a similar sight in the gaming room where just one person could be seen passing through.
In a video, Mr Abel said the atmosphere on board was “a little bit strange”.
“It’s quieter atmosphere. There are not many people in the public areas,” he said.
“A lot of the passengers are staying in their cabins out of choice.
“At meal times we do use the dining room. The captain and the staff are very particular about regular announcements on personal hygiene, like washing our hands in hot soapy water.”
He said passengers were required to agree to wear a face mask in all public places.
“But where do you get a face mask when you’re stuck on a ship? We were in quarantine … so I went down to the ship’s medical centre and they kindly gave us a number of masks,” he said.
“But I was told they would do us no good whatsoever. They will prevent something from flying into your mouth, but in regard catching something, they’re not going to be adequate.
“So the majority of people are not wearing masks, and that includes the ship’s staff and the medical team.”
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Photographs and video posted on Twitter showed masked health workers clad in blue plastic gowns walking down empty corridors on the Diamond Princess as well as views of deserted lounges and a barren deck.
The quarantining of the cruise ship comes as the confirmed death toll from the virus nears 500. More than 24,000 people have been infected since it emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December.
So far, 13 people have tested positive to the novel coronavirus in Australia.
Originally published as Victorian family trapped on coronavirus cruise ship in Japan