Number of Diamond Princess Passengers with Coronavirus Skyrockets

Photos of the containment area surrounding the Diamond Princess cruise ship show people dressed head-to-toe in white protective garments. They enter the ship, taking the greatest precautions, to serve the approximately 3,700 people who authorities have quarantined aboard the ship.

Yesterday we blogged that 20 people aboard the ship had tested positive for coronavirus, which was a doubling of the previous report of 10. Now, authorities report that a total of 61 people aboard the Diamond Princess have tested positive for the virus.


Those quarantined aboard the ship are understandably concerned. As the number of passengers found to have contracted the illness continues to climb, authorities indicate that every new case of the virus aboard the ship could cause the quarantine to be extended. NPR.org reports that the current quarantine is set to expire on February 19. The report says that the 41 additional positive results were from the initial screening and do not indicate continuing contagion.

In a statement, Princess said, “The Japanese Ministry of Health has confirmed this is the last batch to be tested and the quarantine end date will be February 19, unless there are any other unforeseen developments.”