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Japan begins screening 3,700 cruise ship passengers and crew in Yokohama

27 Comments
By Sakura Murakami and Naomi Tajitsu

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27 Comments
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So much for my plans for my plans to visit for cherry-blossom viewing, this year! Makes me wonder how many other North Americans have decided to cancel any plans to visit Japan, China, or Taiwan. I'm guessing thousands.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This infection is spreading the way it did because the Chinese government failed to close its borders, bribed the WHO to lie about the situation, simultaneously lying to the rest of the world about the virus' actual severity. All done in an attempt to save face. Chinese citizens then make the efforts to travel to other places in an attempt to 'escape' the infection all the while realizing they themselves might be carriers of said infection and refuse to turn themselves in.

This is a practice that is disrespectful, selfish and shameful. Now the rest of the world are coerced into partaking the responsibility.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

"But I have just read that 2 new cases in Thailand are people coming back from Japan"

People who visited Japan, more accurately.

Depending how long the visit lasted, they could have entered Japan already infected.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

"Not going anywhere for a while? Grab a Snickers!"

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Not fake news, is that China medic personnel are conducting 2-3 tests before confirming people as not infected. Problem is that they are running low on test kits. Japan should do the same as 1 test is not conclusive to say a person has not been exposed.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Thank you for telling us this coskuri. Because I was beginning to wonder myself if 24 hours would be enough. But judging by the article, 70% of the passengers have been checked and I don’t think it’s been 24 hours yet. I guess it just shows that they have enough workers to deal with the numbers. Unless I’m missing something.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Cruise ship are notorious for having major outbreak of disease under normal conditions

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Since last Friday, no announcement of new cases within Japan, except for 3 guys can from Wuhan. Hope it is a good sign.

But I have just read that 2 new cases in Thailand are people coming back from Japan

1 ( +1 / -0 )

What a nightmare. Good luck to them all.

Apropos of nothing in particular, but we took a trip on that (Diamond Princess) ship years ago. Had a lot of well-designed swimming pools. There was a large contingent of Brits aboard.....what a lot of party animals! When we went on a British ship, the Queen Mary 2, the Brits acted all prim and proper, but get them on a foreign-flagged ship, and they really let their hair down.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I hope they can at least get room service not only for food but for other necessities such as toilet paper.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

This article fails to mention that some passengers disembarked in Okinawa several days. Authorities are trying now to find them.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The Love Boat.  With added virus.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

So the quarantine is only going to last 24 hours?

It starts with 24 hours anyway, it's the time to test and get the results. Then they may extend. It's not sure when the man got contaminated, could be after leaving the boat.

Last week, there was a boat in Italy, quarantined 2 days as 2 passengers were thought to be sick, but after all they were not, they tested everybody, nobody was contaminated. So they stopped grounding them the next day.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

"Asked if the epidemic would affect a visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping expected to take place in April, Suga said preparations for the visit were proceeding as planned."

If you are not allowing Chinese people and people who have visited China in the last couple if weeks in, then the President of China's visit must be postponed or cancelled. It smacks of double standards.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

So the quarantine is only going to last 24 hours? What will they do with all the passengers and staff after that?

That's an easy answer, let them go out on their merry way in public. But yeah get your point about the 24 hrs.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I hope they know the whereabouts of the 80 year old. Not that this will help everyone he’s contaminated to date.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Is the port of disembarkation Japan? Or is Japan just a port of call before the ship moves on?

The ship departs from Yokohama, then goes to Kagoshima, HK, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, HK again, then back to Kagoshima and Yokohama.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Is the port of disembarkation Japan? Or is Japan just a port of call before the ship moves on?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

So, the 80 year had symptoms before embarking!

He was in the airport, buses and contagious?

When will the Japanese government wise up?

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Wait, where did they say that the ship would only be quarantined for 24 hours? Because I don’t see it in the article. I mean I agree that is a long enough time, but I just wanted to make sure that’s what’s in fact is going to happen.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Pre-quarantines?

Quarantine everyone BEFORE travelling until they find a reliable way to test for Coronavirus?

Though I’m (maybe) serious, the logistics of this is impossible, I guess. Both for government and travellers

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I think if they really wanted to, it's possible to test and isolate healthy from sick, AND confine the sick, eg like what Singapore did during SARS, GPS wrist trackers and confine people to their homes.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Knowing this virus is contagious before people being symptomatic and also knowing the virus has up to a 14 day incubation period we all know that this "quarantine" is not going to do much.

The company confirmed that the turnaround of the ship had been delayed by about 24 hours to allow Japan's public health authorities to review the health status of all guests and crew on board.

Cruise ships have been in the past really really great incubators for virus' and bacteria (anyone else old enough to remember the Legionnaires' disease breakouts on cruise ships decades ago?)

I am not going to make any criticism of this action (because holding all of these people for 14 days would be a logistical nightmare) but let's be honest about this; it is quite likely someone else on the ship has acquired the corona virus and it is likely they will be in contact with the public.

12 ( +12 / -0 )

The logistics of dealing with this new virus

Yes, very apt choice of words 'logistics', the virus certainly employs it to spread beyond China.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

The logistics of dealing with this new virus is turning out to be a huge problem for the government

and every other government in the world.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

So the quarantine is only going to last 24 hours? What will they do with all the passengers and staff after that? The logistics of dealing with this new virus is turning out to be a huge problem for the government. Let's hope they handle it properly this time.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

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