TOKYO, February 5. /TASS/. Japan’s Foreign Ministry has informed Russia’s embassy in Tokyo that 24 Russian nationals are on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship after some passengers tested positive for pneumonia caused by coronavirus 2019-nCoV, the Russian embassy told TASS on Wednesday.
Two Russians were said earlier to be aboard the Diamond Princess.
"Japan’s Foreign Ministry notified the embassy that there are 24 Russian citizens on the cruise ship. The embassy stays in close contact with Japan’s Foreign Ministry and Health Ministry over the issue. We have the situation under control. Russian citizens on board are provided with meals and medical care," the embassy said.
About 3,700 people from more than 50 countries are currently on the cruise ship, according to Japan’s Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. However, the ministry have not listed the countries.
The cruise ship departed from Yokohama on January 20 and returned on February 3. Among the passengers was a Chinese national who tested positive for the novel coronavirus. He went off the ship in Hong Kong on January 25. The Japanese authorities ordered the cruise ship to be anchored off Yokohama for the people aboard to be given health screenings.
Medical officials shortlisted 273 people, who either had been in contact with the infected Chinese man or showed pneumonia symptoms. Up to now, out of 31 tests, ten people have tested positive for the newly identified virus. They are from Japan, China, the United States, Australia and the Philippines. The ten people were taken ashore on the coast guard boats to a hospital and their condition is estimated as normal.
The cruise ship is placed in 14-day quarantine. A spokesperson for Carnival Japan, a Japanese operator of the ship, told TASS that the passengers on board would not incur any additional expenses, including accommodation and meals.
About the novel coronavirus
On December 31, 2019 the Chinese authorities reported to the World Health Organization about an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan, a trading and industrial metropolis with a population of 11 million. The virus - 2019-nCoV - was identified on January 7. Apart from China, 24 other countries, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases. The World Health Organization declared the new coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, characterizing it as an epidemic with multiple locations. According to the latest reports, 24,300 cases of patients infected with the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in China. The death toll from the virus has hit 492, while more than 900 patients have recovered from the disease.
In Japan, 33 coronavirus cases have been confirmed so far. Of those, ten are passengers of the cruise ship.