Captain of quarantined cruise ship in Japan cheers passengers to keep panic at bay

Amid hundreds being tested positive for coronavirus in the Diamond Princess cruise ship, the captain of the ship has kept spirits alive by cracking jokes and delivering critical health information in his Italian accent. Gerrano Arma started his career with Princess Cruises in 1998 as a lower rank cadet and rose through the ranks, according to the reports. Captain Arma was reportedly born in the beautiful peninsula of Sorrento, Italy, and has always been passionate about the sea. 

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Captain Courageous

He faced a great leadership challenge as captain of the Diamond Princess where more than 600 people have tested positive for coronavirus and the cruise ship was quarantined for a period of 14 days. His frequent messages to 2,600 passengers round-the-clock have kept them informed and raise their spirits even after fresh positive tests kept on emerging daily, as per the reports. He also sent chocolates and hearts to passengers with notes of encouragement and recited a passage about love from the Bible on Valentine's Day. 

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621 infected on the ship

The total number of infected onboard the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess has risen to 621 after Japan recently announced 79 more confirmed cases on the ship. According to reports, Japan's health ministry was carrying out tests on passengers and crews that are quarantined on board the ship. The Diamond Princess is currently docked in Yokohoma, a port city close to Tokyo and the passengers on the cruise ship began leaving after being tested negative for the coronavirus. 

According to reports, around 500 passengers were allowed to leave the ship after the 14-day quarantine period came to an end. The passengers leaving the ship also received an official certificate stating that the concerned individuals did not pose any threat and had tested negative for the infection of the virus. As per reports, a few countries were also not happy with the quarantine process onboard the Diamond Princess and started bringing back their citizens on board chartered planes. 

(With agency inputs)

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