Japan officials puzzled by outbreak on docked cruise ship

 Japanese officials are investigating an outbreak of coronavirus among crew members of a cruise ship in Nagasaki, which has puzzled authorities because sourn port city has a relatively low number of infections and vessel has been docked for almost two months.

outbreak on Italian-operated Costa Atlantica surfaced Tuesday when officials from Nagasaki and Mitsubishi Heavy Industry, which is in charge of repairs and maintenance on ship, anunced that a crew member developed a cough and fever. By Thursday, 47 crew have tested positive for virus, a Nagasaki prefectural official Hirori Hashiguchi said.

ship has 623 crew, including a Japanese translator, and passengers. It came to Nagasaki after changing its repair plan in China due to pandemic. Officials did t disclose nationalities of crew.

One crew member became seriously ill Wednesday and was sent to a hospital, where he was put on a respirator, officials said.

remaining staff are without serious symptoms and remain quarantined on board in single rooms, except for those on essential duties, including cooking and delivering food for ir colleagues, officials said. Some of essential crew also are infected.

Details of movements of crew are t clear, but officials suspect y h eir contracted virus while in town or when ship switched crew in past few weeks.

Mitsubishi initially said crew never left dock after March 14, when Nagasaki reported its first coronavirus case and asked all crew members to stay on board. But company ackwledged following day that some members who passed body temperature checks and or requirements h been allowed off ship. On Thursday, Mitsubishi said re was a possible switch of crew and that company was checking with ship operator, Costa Cruises.

As infections in Japan continue to spre nationwide, outbreak on ship has raised concerns about testing and hospital capacity in Nagasaki, which has 17 people infected, 11 of m hospitalized. Japan has about 12,000 cases, with 300 deaths.

Earlier this year, U.S.-operated cruise Diamond Princess h 712 infected people among more than 3,700 passengers and crew while it was quarantined in Yokohama, near Tokyo. Thirteen h died amid criticism that prolonged quarantine and inequate measures contributed to spre of virus in close quarters.

Two or cruise ships, Costa Serena and Costa Neo Romantica, are also docked in Nagasaki with 669 and 393 crew members, respectively. Nagasaki city official Kaori Matsuo said so far re has been report of anyone showing symptoms.

Nagasaki officials have said y plan to have crew of Costa Atlantica quarantine mselves on board unless y develop serious symptoms, and seek ways to let ors who tested negative return to ir countries.

Nagasaki is getting support from a military medical team and plans to test all remaining crew by Friday.