20 people test positive for coronavirus on board Carnival’s Diamond Princess cruise in Japan

Taylor Dolven, Michelle Marchante
·2 min read

Twenty people aboard a quarantined cruise ship run by Doral-based Carnival Corporation have tested positive for coronavirus, including three Americans.

The Japanese health ministry is holding the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yakohomo, outside of Tokyo, and testing all 3,711 people on board because a man tested positive for the virus on Feb. 1 after disembarking. On Tuesday, Japanese officials found 10 people on the cruise ship had the virus. By Wednesday, 10 more tested positive, bringing the total to 20.

Seven of the infected passengers are from Japan, three from the U.S., three from Hong Kong, two from Canada, two from Australia, one from Taiwan, and one from New Zealand. One person is a Princess Cruises crew member from the Philippines.

The Japanese military has taken the people who have the virus to local hospitals, the cruise line said in a statement. Around half of the 2,666 passengers on board the ship are from Japan; 416 are from the U.S.

The coronavirus is a respiratory illness that has killed more than 560 people worldwide and has infected more than 28,000 people across 25 countries, including the United States, since it was first identified in Wuhan, China about two months ago, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. The majority of those who are infected live in China.

Twelve people have fallen ill with the coronavirus in the United States, with 76 still pending testing as of Wednesday, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention said. None of the confirmed cases are in Florida.

Princess Cruises, owned by Carnival Corp., said water and food will be brought on board the ship as the company complies with the minimum two-week quarantine by Japanese health officials.

“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,” the company said in a statement. The company has canceled the Diamond Princess’ scheduled sailings from Yokohama on Feb. 4 and Feb. 12.