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Coronavirus: Japan braces for hundreds more cases as Hubei lockdown continues | |
(32 minutes later) | |
Diamond Princess evacuations begin as Japan warns outbreak ‘entering new phase’ | |
Japan is bracing for the possibility of hundreds of additional cases of the coronavirus onboard the stricken Princess Diamond, as experts warned the country was still in the “early stages” of the outbreak. | |
The passengers evacuated from the ship face further uncertainty too, with the US and Australian citizens set for a further two weeks of quarantine after arriving homeHundreds of American passengers have flown back to the US and Australia said it would follow suit on Wednesday. | |
Onboard the Diamond Princess, 355 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 out of an original total of about 3,600 passengers and crew, and after testing 1,219. Forty American passengers who were diagnosed with the virus have been transferred to hospitals in Japan. | |
Some Diamond Princess passengers face another two weeks in isolation if they have shared a cabin with someone who tests positive. | Some Diamond Princess passengers face another two weeks in isolation if they have shared a cabin with someone who tests positive. |
The total number of people infected around the world climbed to more than 71,000 on Monday, including a further 2,048 confirmed cases in China, where the total number of deaths stands at 1,770. Five people have died outside China. Of the 105 deaths reported in China on Monday, 100 were in Hubei province, the centre of the outbreak. | |
Cities in Hubei have stepped up measures to stop the virus’s spread. Xiaogan city – which has a population of nearly 5 million people and the second highest number of confirmed cases in China – ordered residents to stay in their homes or face detention of up to 10 days. | Cities in Hubei have stepped up measures to stop the virus’s spread. Xiaogan city – which has a population of nearly 5 million people and the second highest number of confirmed cases in China – ordered residents to stay in their homes or face detention of up to 10 days. |
State media reported that “all vehicles including motorcycles, electric bikes, bicycles and tricycles are prohibited from driving on the road”. Xiaogan, 70km from the city of Wuhan, has 3,279 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and has recorded 70 deaths. | State media reported that “all vehicles including motorcycles, electric bikes, bicycles and tricycles are prohibited from driving on the road”. Xiaogan, 70km from the city of Wuhan, has 3,279 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and has recorded 70 deaths. |
Japan, which has recorded one fatality, is the worst-affected country after China. Six new cases of the coronavirus were detected on Sunday, apart from those on the Diamond Princess. Overall, Japan has 413 confirmed cases of the virus, including one death, a woman in her 80s. | Japan, which has recorded one fatality, is the worst-affected country after China. Six new cases of the coronavirus were detected on Sunday, apart from those on the Diamond Princess. Overall, Japan has 413 confirmed cases of the virus, including one death, a woman in her 80s. |
On Monday, the outbreak forced a hospital near Tokyo to stop accepting new patients, and raised the possibility of a scaled back Tokyo Marathon next month. | On Monday, the outbreak forced a hospital near Tokyo to stop accepting new patients, and raised the possibility of a scaled back Tokyo Marathon next month. |
The hospital, in Sagamihara, about 50km west of Tokyo, said it would suspend fresh admissions because one of its nurses had tested positive for the virus after treating a patient who later died of the disease. | |
A member of the diagnosis team from Japan’s health ministry also tested positive for the disease, the ministry said on Monday. The virus’s spread in Japan has prompted calls for the government to speed up testing and offer clearer advice on when to seek medical help. | A member of the diagnosis team from Japan’s health ministry also tested positive for the disease, the ministry said on Monday. The virus’s spread in Japan has prompted calls for the government to speed up testing and offer clearer advice on when to seek medical help. |
Citing “circumstances”, the Imperial Household Agency said it would cancel Emperor Naruhito’s public birthday address on 23 February, his first since his coronation last year. The event regularly attracts tens of thousands of people to the inner grounds of the Imperial Palace in the heart of Tokyo. | Citing “circumstances”, the Imperial Household Agency said it would cancel Emperor Naruhito’s public birthday address on 23 February, his first since his coronation last year. The event regularly attracts tens of thousands of people to the inner grounds of the Imperial Palace in the heart of Tokyo. |
Tokyo’s marathon, scheduled for 1 March, was to feature 38,000 runners – but organisers said they had told participants from China to consider avoiding the event, Kyodo news agency said. The marathon doubles as a qualifying event for the Tokyo Olympics, preparations for which have already been disrupted by the Covid-19 crisis. | Tokyo’s marathon, scheduled for 1 March, was to feature 38,000 runners – but organisers said they had told participants from China to consider avoiding the event, Kyodo news agency said. The marathon doubles as a qualifying event for the Tokyo Olympics, preparations for which have already been disrupted by the Covid-19 crisis. |
Analysts also warned of potentially “huge” damage to Japan’s economy, saying the widening fallout from the virus was damaging output and tourism, undermining growth and risking pushing the country into recession. | |
There is concern, too, over the growing number of reported cases in Japan involving people who have not visited China recently or knowingly had direct contact with people arriving from the country. | There is concern, too, over the growing number of reported cases in Japan involving people who have not visited China recently or knowingly had direct contact with people arriving from the country. |
The prime minister, Shinzo Abe, told ministers the government would increase the number of medical facilities that can accept infected people to 800 from the current 726. | The prime minister, Shinzo Abe, told ministers the government would increase the number of medical facilities that can accept infected people to 800 from the current 726. |
“We agreed that the present situation represents the early stage of a domestic outbreak. This could progress further,” said Takaji Wakita, the chief of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, after the first meeting of a task force at the prime minister’s office. | |
Pressure on Japan’s health services increased again on Monday with the arrival in Tokyo of a government-chartered flight carrying 65 Japanese nationals from Wuhan, bringing the total number repatriated from the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak to 763. | Pressure on Japan’s health services increased again on Monday with the arrival in Tokyo of a government-chartered flight carrying 65 Japanese nationals from Wuhan, bringing the total number repatriated from the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak to 763. |
Japan’s health minister, Katsunobu Kato, urged the public to avoid crowds and “non-essential gatherings”, including notoriously packed commuter trains and warned the country was “entering a new phase” in the outbreak of the virus. | |
Koji Wada, a professor of public health at the International University of Health and Welfare, told the Asahi Shimbun: “There is the possibility that the infection may have spread to people well beyond the groups of patients who have been identified.” | Koji Wada, a professor of public health at the International University of Health and Welfare, told the Asahi Shimbun: “There is the possibility that the infection may have spread to people well beyond the groups of patients who have been identified.” |
The government has made extra funds available for emergency countermeasures it says will be in place by the end of March. | The government has made extra funds available for emergency countermeasures it says will be in place by the end of March. |
Employers in Japan are also starting to feel the effects of the outbreak. On Monday, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, one of the country’s biggest firms, said it was urging its 200,000 group employees to work from home or stagger their commutes. | Employers in Japan are also starting to feel the effects of the outbreak. On Monday, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, one of the country’s biggest firms, said it was urging its 200,000 group employees to work from home or stagger their commutes. |
On the Diamond Princess, several other governments are scrambling to evacuate their citizens from the vessel, with Canada, Italy, Israel and Hong Kong poised to follow Washington’s lead. | On the Diamond Princess, several other governments are scrambling to evacuate their citizens from the vessel, with Canada, Italy, Israel and Hong Kong poised to follow Washington’s lead. |
Americans on the Diamond Princess evacuation flights, which left Tokyo’s Haneda airport early on Monday, will spend another two weeks in quarantine once they return to the US. They were told they were being evacuated “out of an abundance of caution” and being brought back to the US for further monitoring. | Americans on the Diamond Princess evacuation flights, which left Tokyo’s Haneda airport early on Monday, will spend another two weeks in quarantine once they return to the US. They were told they were being evacuated “out of an abundance of caution” and being brought back to the US for further monitoring. |
The US embassy in Tokyo said the evacuation had been organised partly to “reduce the burden on the Japanese healthcare system”. | The US embassy in Tokyo said the evacuation had been organised partly to “reduce the burden on the Japanese healthcare system”. |
Agencies contributed to this report. | Agencies contributed to this report. |