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| Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan confirms 99 new Coronavirus cases | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Evacuations begin despite continued quarantine as Japan warns outbreak ‘entering new phase’ | |
| Scores more people have tested positive for coronavirus onboard the stricken Princess Diamond cruise ship docked in Japan, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 454. | Scores more people have tested positive for coronavirus onboard the stricken Princess Diamond cruise ship docked in Japan, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 454. |
| The confirmation of 99 extra cases on the ship, which remains quarantined in Yokohama, comes as concern grows over possible infections among passengers from another cruise liner that docked in Cambodia last week. | The confirmation of 99 extra cases on the ship, which remains quarantined in Yokohama, comes as concern grows over possible infections among passengers from another cruise liner that docked in Cambodia last week. |
| On Sunday, a traveller from the ship, the MS Westerdam, was confirmed to have the virus in Malaysia, just days after disembarking along with hundreds of other passengers. It is not clear how many travellers remain in Cambodia, or how many have already travelled on to further destinations. | On Sunday, a traveller from the ship, the MS Westerdam, was confirmed to have the virus in Malaysia, just days after disembarking along with hundreds of other passengers. It is not clear how many travellers remain in Cambodia, or how many have already travelled on to further destinations. |
| The Cambodian health ministry did not respond to requests for comment. The cruise operator, Holland America Line, told Reuters that guests who had left Cambodia would be “contacted by their local health department and be provided further information”. It is not clear if passengers will be asked to self-isolate once they return home. | The Cambodian health ministry did not respond to requests for comment. The cruise operator, Holland America Line, told Reuters that guests who had left Cambodia would be “contacted by their local health department and be provided further information”. It is not clear if passengers will be asked to self-isolate once they return home. |
| Meanwhile hundreds of American passengers on the Diamond Princess, where travellers have been mostly confined to their cabins since 3 February, have been flown back to the US. Fourteen passengers tested positive during the evacuation, the US State Department said. | |
| Australia said it would follow suit on Wednesday. Both countries have said citizens will face another two weeks of quarantine after arriving home. Forty American passengers who were diagnosed with the virus have already been transferred to hospitals in Japan. | Australia said it would follow suit on Wednesday. Both countries have said citizens will face another two weeks of quarantine after arriving home. Forty American passengers who were diagnosed with the virus have already been transferred to hospitals in Japan. |
| Some Diamond Princess passengers still on the ship face another two weeks in isolation if they have shared a cabin with someone who tests positive. | Some Diamond Princess passengers still on the ship 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. | 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. The city of Xiaogan – 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. The city of Xiaogan – 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. |
| With fresh cases emerging daily, the Japanese government has advised citizens to avoid mass gatherings, and on Monday cancelled celebrations for the Emperor’s birthday. | With fresh cases emerging daily, the Japanese government has advised citizens to avoid mass gatherings, and on Monday cancelled celebrations for the Emperor’s birthday. |
| A hospital near Tokyo said it was no longer accepting new patients because one of its nurses had tested positive for the virus after treating an infected patient who later died. | A hospital near Tokyo said it was no longer accepting new patients because one of its nurses had tested positive for the virus after treating an infected patient who later died. |
| A member of the diagnosis team from Japan’s health ministry also tested positive for the disease, the ministry said. 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. 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. | |
| 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. | 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. |
| “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. | “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. | 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. |
| Agencies contributed to this report |