A 4th passenger has died in Japan after becoming ill on a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship, local media revealed on Tuesday, February 25, as the government vowed new measures to fight the COVID-19 outbreak.
Nearly 700 people onboard Diamond Princess, which spent 2 weeks quarantined in Port Yokohama, have tested positive for the coronavirus. 4 people who were hospitalized after being taken off the liner have died, the latest a man in his 80s.
So far, 3 others, all Japanese, have died after becoming sick on the cruise ship. Two were confirmed to have the new virus. The health ministry declined to comment on the diagnosis of the 3rd.
Japan has come under pressure over its handling of Diamond Princess, particularly after it emerged that some cruise passengers allowed to disembark after testing negative were subsequently diagnosed with the coronavirus. Some of the disembarking guests were not even tested during the quarantine period.
Several government officials working on the cruise ship have themselves contracted the infection. However, authorities have defended a policy of not uniformly testing those working onboard. Many nations evacuated their citizens from Diamond Princess, with 450 Filipinos due to be flown home today on 2 chartered flights. Another 81 who have tested positive will stay in Japan.
For other Diamond Princess accidents and incidents see at the ship's CruiseMinus page.
For Coronavirus updates on cruise ship quarantines (infected passengers and crew) and top-pandemic countries (COVID-19 cases and deaths, daily updated statistics) see at CruiseMapper's Norovirus page.