9.43°C Vancouver

Feb 19, 2020 2:51 PM -

Passengers begin leaving after ship's virus quarantine ends

Share On
passengers-begin-leaving-after-ships-virus-quarantine-ends
Officials and staffs prepare for the passengers from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship to leave a port in Yokohama, near Tokyo, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Hundreds of passengers began leaving the Diamond Princess cruise ship Wednesday after the end of a much criticized, two week quarantine that failed to stop the spread of a new virus among passengers and crew.

Officials still were continuing tests for the coronavirus that has sickened tens of thousands of people in China and more than 540 on the ship.

Some passengers said on Twitter they received health check forms asking if they had any symptoms such as headache, fever, cough.

Passengers who tested negative and had no symptoms still had to get their body temperature checked before leaving. A Japanese passenger said he was still waiting for his virus results and was getting worried.

Japanese officials will spend several days staging the high-stakes evacuation of about 2,500 people who've been kept aboard the ship at the Yokohama port near Tokyo after one passenger who departed the ship earlier in Hong Kong was found to have the virus.

The ship, which some experts have called a perfect virus incubator, has since become the site of the most infections outside of China, where the virus was first identified.

As of Tuesday, 542 cases have been identified among the original 3,711 people on the ship. Even though Japanese officials insist the number of infected patients is levelling off, dozens of new cases on the ship continue to mount daily.

On Tuesday, 88 people tested positive; a day earlier 99 others were found to have been infected.

About 500 are expected to return home Wednesday.

Crew members, who couldn't be confined to their rooms over the last two weeks because they were working, are expected to stay on the ship.

The ship’s operator, Princess Cruises, said in a statement Tuesday that 169 people who tested positive recently were still on the ship as they waited for transportation to hospitals.

Latest news

search-underway-for-b-c-woman-missing-after-empty-boat-washes-ashore
BCMay 16, 2025

Search underway for B.C. woman missing after empty boat washes ashore

Police in Nanaimo, B.C., say a search is underway both at sea and on land after a woman's sailboat was discovered washed ashore and empty. Mounties say 34 year old Amber Nitchman is the registered owner of the 10-metre white sailboat that was found Thursday near Bayshore Drive and Hammond Bay Road off Nanaimo.No one was on the boat, and Nanaimo Search and Rescue, the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Center, the coast guard and Nanaimo RCMP have taken part in a ground and water search for the woman.Police are asking that anyone with information on the case contact investigators immediately.The RCMP h
vaisakhi-nagar-kirtan-to-be-held-tomorrow-in-prince-george
BCMay 16, 2025

Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan to be held tomorrow in Prince George

The vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan is being held tomorrow in Prince George, the city's RCMP said in a statement that they are also very excited to participate in this year's annual Sikh vaisakhi parade. Constable Praban Basra said that our relationship with the Sikh community is strong and very important. He said that many of our police officers belong to this community. He said that 7 officers from the Prince George RCMP will participate in this Nagar Kirtan dedicated to vaisakhi. At the same time, the organizers have expressed the hope that hundreds of people from northern BC will join the Nagar
porter-airlines-launches-new-direct-flight-between-ottawa-and-victoria
BCMay 16, 2025

Porter Airlines launches new direct flight between Ottawa and Victoria

B.C.’s capital city of Victoria is now offering direct flights to Ottawa. Porter Airlines has launched a new non-stop flight between Victoria International Airport and Ottawa International Airport. The airline said the flight will depart Victoria at 11:50 a.m. The flight will initially operate four times a week, but the airline plans to operate the flight daily during the peak summer season, which begins June 16. Porter is using a 132-seater aircraft for these flights. Porter’s flight from Ottawa yesterday carried 130 passengers, according to Elizabeth Brown, president and CEO of the Vic
ransom-demanded-from-murdered-harjit-singh-dhadda-family-reveals
CanadaMay 16, 2025

Ransom demanded from murdered Harjit Singh Dhadda, family reveals

Ransom was demanded from Punjabi businessman Harjit Singh Dhadda, who was shot dead in broad daylight in Mississauga on Wednesday. This has been revealed by his family. His daughter Gurleen Dhadda said that a ransom of $500,000 was demanded from her father but he refused. Gurleen said that her father said that he would not give a single penny. At the same time, Peel police did not confirm this claim but the victim's family says that they had reported the threats to the police and the police did not take it seriously. Gurleen said that my father was shot dead in broad daylight because our g
canada-post-report-recommends-phasing-out-daily-door-to-door-mail-delivery
CanadaMay 16, 2025

Canada Post report recommends phasing out daily door-to-door mail delivery

The Industrial Inquiry Commission report on the labour dispute at Canada Post recommends phasing out daily door-to-door letter mail delivery for individual addresses, while daily delivery to businesses should be maintained. It also says the moratoriums on rural post office closures and community mailbox conversions should be lifted.

Related News