Japan: Passengers tested negative for COVID-19 expected to disembark cruise ship from today

In Japan, several hundred passengers who have tested negative for COVID-2019 are expected to disembark the cruise ship Diamond Princess from today. Japanese officials told passengers in a letter that if they and their roommates have been tested negative and have no fever or respiratory symptoms, they will be able to prepare for disembarkation. Japanese officials added that it would take at least three days to process the disembarkation of everyone.

With at least 542 positive cases, the cruise ship moored in Yokohama near Tokyo for past 14 days has proved to be a fertile breeding ground for the virus. The ship had initially got 3,700



passengers and crew on board from 56 nations.

The Diamond Princess ship is easily the biggest cluster of positive cases outside the Chinese epicentre, with more people succumbing to the virus than in the rest of the world put together.

Michael Ryan, Head of the World Health Organization's health emergencies programme agreed that there has been more transmission than expected on the ship. He added that the Japanese authorities are now taking the necessary public health measures with other countries to evacuate people and deal with the follow-up in a different way.