Coronavirus outbreak hits 66 more cruise ship passengers

A further four Australians trap­ped on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruiseliner have fallen victim to coronavirus.

The Diamond Princess cruise ship, with around 3,600 people quarantined on-board due to fears of the new coronavirus. Picture: AFP

A further four Australians trap­ped on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruiseliner — described by some on-board as “a contaminated prison” — have fallen victim to the potentially fatal novel coronavirus as authorities revealed those closest to them will have to begin their 14-day lockdown on board the ship again.

Princess Cruises confirmed on Monday night that 66 more ­people on board the cruise ship, docked in the port of Yokohama, 35km south of Tokyo, had tested positive to the deadly disease.

It comes in addition to 70 cases already diagnosed on board, raising the number of infected pass­engers and crew to more than 130.

More than 3600 people remain in isolation on the ship, which is halfway through a 14-day lockdown in the port.

A total of 11 Australians have now contracted the disease on the ship since joining the cruise, while a further 212 remain trapped on board while undergoing the quarantine until February 19.

It is understood any passengers and crew who came in close contact with the latest carriers diag­nosed with the coronavirus will need to recommence their 14-day quarantine from scratch, with the World Health Organisation tweeting: “The (quarantine) period will be extended beyond the 19 Feb as appropriate only for close contacts of newly confirmed cases. They need to remain in quarantine for 14 days from last contact with a confirmed case.”

The Diamond Princess has been under quarantine since February 3 after an 80-year-old Hong Kong man who travelled on it in January fell ill with the virus.

A Princess Cruises spokesman said the company expected more people to test positive, given the incubation period of the disease.

“We are following guidance from the Japan Ministry of Health on plans for disembark­ation protocols to provide medical care for these new cases,” a Princess Cruises spokesman told The Australian.

“Since it is early in the quarantine period of 14 days, it was not unexpected that additional cases would be reported involving individuals who were exposed prior to the start of the quarantine.

“The Japan Ministry of Health has been the lead public health authority defining the testing protocols for all guests and crew on Diamond Princess. Questions on the timeline, test results and reporting protocols should be directed to them … Additional information will be shared as soon as it is made available to use by the Ministry of Health.”

When the boat arrived off Japan, authorities initially tested nearly 300 people for the virus of the 3711 on board, gradually evacuating dozens who were infected to local medical facilities.

In recent days, testing has expanded to those with new symptoms or who had close contact with other infected passengers or crew. Those who remain on the ship have been asked to stay inside their cabins and allowed only briefly on to open decks. They have been asked to wear masks and have been given thermometers to regularly monitor their temperatures.

The quarantine has made life on board the ship difficult, particularly for those in windowless interior cabins and who require medication for various chronic conditions.

The health ministry said on Monday that about 600 people on board urgently needed medication, and about half received supplies at the weekend.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: AFP, Reuters