Japanese authorities have quarantined a Princess Cruises
ship with 2,666 passengers onboard after a guest on a previous cruise tested
positive for coronavirus.
Princess confirmed that a passenger on a previous cruise
tested positive for the virus on Feb. 1, six days after disembarking the
Diamond Princess in Hong Kong.
The diagnosis prompted the Japanese authorities to hold the
ship in port in Yokohama while Japanese public health authorities review the
health status of all passengers and crew. Princess said the quarantine was
standard practice due to the positive diagnosis.
The Diamond Princess arrived in Yokohama on Feb. 3, one day
early, from a 14-day roundtrip cruise.
The passenger, who is from Hong Kong, had embarked in
Yokohama on Jan. 20 and sailed one segment of an itinerary before disembarking
in Hong Kong on Jan. 25. He tested positive for coronavirus on Feb. 1 at a
hospital in Hong Kong. Princess said that while onboard, he did not visit the
ship’s medical center to report any symptoms or illness, and that his family
members traveling with him are symptom free.