As of late Friday night, a total of 63 people aboard the Diamond Princess, now quarantined off the coast of Japan, had been diagnosed with coronavirus by the Japanese Ministry of Health, USA Today reported Saturday morning.

Valencia, California-based cruise ship operator Princess Cruises reported two more passengers, including another American, were diagnosed with the deadly virus and are now being treated.

Princess Cruises had announced 41 new cases Thursday night in a statement. The 41 include passengers from Argentina (one); Australia (five); Canada (five), Japan (21); United Kingdom (one) and United States (eight), according to the cruise line.

“The Japanese Ministry of Health has confirmed this is the last batch to be tested and the quarantine end date will be February 19, unless there are any other unforeseen developments,” the statement read. “The Japanese government is also providing our ship and team members additional manpower support.”

Anchored off the port of Yokohama, Japan, the British-flagged Diamond Princess in under a quarantine that began Tuesday and is expected to last 14 days, possibly longer, the cruise line said.

For a first-hand account of the quarantine experience from Carl and Jeri Goldman, who own Santa Clarita radio station KHTS and are onboard the Diamond Princess in Japan, click here.

Original post, Wednesday
Ten people onboard Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan tested positive for coronavirus in the first phase of health screening of all guests and crew by the Japanese Ministry of Health, the Valencia, California-based cruise line reported in an updated news release Wednesday.

By the end of the day, another 10 passengers had been diagnosed with the virus, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday afternoon.

“The 10 people who tested positive for the deadly virus, for which there is no cure yet, include two Australian guests, three Japanese guests, three guests from Hong Kong, and one guest from the U.S. in addition to one Filipino crewmember,” Princess Cruises reported of the first group of 10.

“These 10 persons who have been notified will be taken ashore by Japanese Coast Guard watercraft and transported to local hospitals for care by shoreside Japanese medical professionals,” the release stated.

The new group of 10 includes “four Japanese guests, two Canadians and one guest from New Zealand,” the cruise line said Wednesday.

As of Tuesday, the coronavirus outbreak has infected more than 20,000 people and killed more than 400 worldwide, most of them in China, USA Today reported Wednesday.

More of Princess Cruises’ news release follows:

The Diamond Princess plans to go out to sea to perform normal marine operations including, but not limited to, the production of fresh water and ballast operations before proceeding alongside in Yokohama where food, provisions, and other supplies will be brought onboard.

Guests will continue to be provided complimentary internet and telephone to use in order to stay in contact with their family and loved ones, and the ship’s crew is working to keep all guests comfortable.

Princess Cruises will continue to fully cooperate with and follow the instructions of global medical authorities and the Japanese government.

We will also be canceling the next two Diamond Princess cruises departing Yokohama (Feb 4 and Feb 12) and will begin notifying guests today.

Princess Cruises confirms there are 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew currently onboard covering a range of nationalities. Approximately half the guests onboard are from Japan.

Princess Cruises thanks the Japan Ministry of Health for their thorough review of the health status of guests and crew aboard Diamond Princess. The cruise line has decided to cancel the next voyage of Diamond Princess to help facilitate the health screening and records review process.

Diamond Princess was due to depart Yokohama (February 4, 2020) for an eight-day round trip cruise. However, the decision was made to cancel the cruise because of the time needed for the authorities to complete their comprehensive review.

All guests will receive a full refund. Each guest will also receive a one hundred percent future cruise credit.

While this decision will be disappointing for our guests, we feel they will understand the commitment to continue to work closely with the health authorities because we share a common goal of looking after the safety and well-being of our guests, crew and the places we visit.

Princess Cruises confirmed there are 2,666 guests currently onboard covering a range of nationalities. About half the guests are from Japan.

We will provide a further update once we have more information.

From Princess Cruises’ Tuesday, Feb. 4 news release:

On the previous voyage, a guest from Hong Kong, embarked in Yokohama on January 20, sailed one segment of the itinerary, and disembarked in Hong Kong on January 25. He visited a local Hong Kong hospital, six days after leaving the ship, where he later tested positive for coronavirus on February 1. While on the ship he did not visit the ship’s medical centre to report any symptoms or illness. The hospital reports that he is in stable condition and the family members traveling with him remain symptom-free.

The safety, security and well-being of all guests and crew is our absolute priority. The review of the arriving guests and crew, by Japanese health authorities, is standard practice after a guest tested positive for coronavirus and we are working closely with the local authorities to provide detailed records to facilitate their review.

Diamond Princess arrived in Yokohama early from a 14-day round trip itinerary, which departed from Yokohama (Tokyo) on January 20 and was scheduled to return on February 4. There are 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew on board.

We will provide a further update once we have more information.