Passengers Face 'Cabin Arrest' on Quarantined Ship

10 more coronavirus cases found on cruise ship
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 6, 2020 4:56 AM CST
Passengers Face 'Cabin Arrest' on Quarantined Ship
Officials wearing protective suits stand near the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020.   (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Ten more people were sickened with a new virus aboard one of two quarantined cruise ships, health officials in Japan said Thursday, as China reported 73 more deaths and announced that the first group of patients were expected to start taking a new antiviral drug. In Yokohama, health workers said 10 more people from the Diamond Princess were confirmed ill with the coronavirus, in addition to 10 others who tested positive on Wednesday. The latest infections included four Japanese, two Americans, two Canadians, one New Zealander, and one Taiwanese, the AP reports. Most were in their 60s and 70s. They were dropped off as the ship docked and transferred to nearby hospitals for further tests and treatment.

The 3,700 people still on board the Diamond Princess face a 14-day quarantine in their cabins. "I'm calling it 'cabin arrest' as opposed to house arrest," Canadian passenger Paul Mirko tells the CBC. "It's a three-meter by five-meter room and we can't leave." He says he feels lucky that at least he and his wife have a cabin facing the outside, with a balcony. The 3,600 people aboard a ship quarantined in Hong Kong, the World Dream, are also being screened after three passengers on a previous voyage were diagnosed with the virus. According to the latest figures early Thursday, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in China jumped by 3,694 to 28,018, and the death toll rose to 563. The number of those "discharged and cured" stood at 1,153. (A baby in Wuhan was born with the virus.)

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