Japan cruise ship virus cases climb to 174

Ar 39 people aboard Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan have tested positive for new coronavirus, authorities said Wednesday, as thousands more steel mselves for a second week in quarantine.

With 174 confirmed cases, ship that arrived with over 3,700 passengers and crew has become largest single cluster of newly named COVID-19 virus outside its origin in China, where it has killed more than 1,100. Passengers and crew are w halfway through a 14-day quarantine that is due to end on February 19 and have been mostly confined to ir quarters, aside from being allowed brief periods on deck while wearing face masks. "You sit out on balcony and you hear people coughing all way along," British passenger Sally Abel said in a video streamed on Facebook.

"It is thing like a holiday, but it is complete relaxation," she ded. Fellow passenger Yardley Wong tweeted: "Anxiety uprisen" on news of new cases, saying she didn't kw wher she or her family might be next. On board ship, captain told passengers situation was changing all time.

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"We are following latest and best public health guidelines from authorities," he said in a brocast that passengers relayed on social media. He apologised for "periodic service disruptions" to internet, ding: "Diamond Princess has more bandwidth than any ship in world, and at same time, more mobile devices than ever before connected on a ship."

Passengers have been active on social media throughout ir quarantine and have been trying to stave off boredom and anxiety with on-demand movies, quizzes and games of Sudoku. Japanese Health Minister Katsubu Kato told reporters early Wednesday that 39 new positive cases came from 53 ditional test results.

He said a quarantine officer was among those diagsed, with Yomiuri Shimbun daily reporting he h t been wearing a full protective suit while carrying out tests before quarantine period began on February 5. Kato also revealed re were four people in hospital in serious condition, eir on a ventilator or in intensive care.

Diamond Princess has been in quarantine since arriving off Japanese coast early last week after virus was detected in a former passenger who got off ship in Hong Kong. Passengers have been asked to keep a distance from each or when out of ir cabins, and given rmometers to regularly monitor ir own temperatures.

When boat arrived off Japan, authorities initially tested nearly 300 people of 3,711 aboard for virus, grually evacuating dozens who were infected to local medical facilities. In recent days, testing has expanded to 492 people, mostly those showing symptoms or who have h close contact with a confirmed positive case.

"Currently we have capacity to conduct up to 300 tests per day, but we are working... so that by last day of incubation period, February 18, we will be able to test up to 1,000," government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters at a regular briefing. ship is expected to remain in quarantine until February 19 two weeks days after isolation period began. Officials do t expect new cases to affect this schedule.

Aside from cruise ship, Japan has identified 28 cases including at least nine from evacuation flights that brought Japanese citizens out of Chinese city of Wuhan, where virus originated. Some of passengers evacuated from Wuhan are expected to be released from quarantine soon possibly by Wednesday evening.

Separately, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe anunced that Japan was expanding its ban on travellers to Zhejiang province. Previously, a ban was imposed only on passengers from Hubei region, disease's epicentre. Despite anxiety on board, one passenger praised Italian captain for keeping stress levels manable aboard ship.

"One reason why a panic has t occurred among passengers is captain's leership. Regular anuncements of information, answering passengers' requests by consulting quarantine officers, walking on deck, apologising for delayed medicine distribution," passenger tweeted. "I want this kind of man to be our country's leer." 

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