niman Posted February 15, 2020 Report Posted February 15, 2020 (edited) *U.S. State Dept. will evacuate American citizens and their families aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship - CDC official *About 380 people will be offered seats on two evacuation flights from Japan back to the U.S. - CDC official ... TO READ THE FULL STORY Edited February 15, 2020 by niman
Admin Posted February 15, 2020 Report Posted February 15, 2020 Fear and Boredom Aboard the Quarantined Coronavirus Cruise Ship U.S. State Department to evacuate Americans and their families aboard the Diamond Princess By Suryatapa Bhattacharya Updated Feb. 14, 2020 8:48 pm ET SAVE SHARE TEXT 70 RESPONSES Breaking News: *U.S. State Dept. will evacuate American citizens and their families aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship - CDC official *About 380 people will be offered seats on two evacuation flights from Japan back to the U.S. - CDC official *Some may quarantine at Travis Air Force Base in California, while others may be transferred to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas (Article below will update) TOKYO—The pools, hot tubs and bars of the Diamond Princess emptied out on Feb. 5, when authorities quarantined the luxury cruise ship at a Yokohama dock. Instead of overflowing buffets, staff in surgical masks deliver boxed meals and snacks, about 11,000 a day. Life has taken a turn for the nearly 3,500 passengers and crew aboard the $500 million vessel who entered a second week under quarantine for the coronavirus disease. “I can’t wrap my head around the fact that I could die from this cruise,” said Gay Courter, a 75-year-old American novelist confined to a cabin with her husband. “I go look outside and there’s people in white hazmat suits.” The only trips ashore are for those infected with the coronavirus, 218 so far, or people with other serious ailments. Of the disembarked passengers sick with the virus, eight are in serious condition, authorities said. Outside of China, the biggest outbreak is on the Diamond Princess. The nearly 2,400 passengers who remain are largely trapped in their cabins. Health workers in masks and body suits knock on doors to ask selected passengers, including the elderly, to open wide for a throat swab. Used bedsheets and towels go into bags for incineration. Anxiety and boredom appear the most common symptoms aboard what amounts to a floating petri dish. Aun Na Tan, of Melbourne, Australia, her husband, a 19-year-old son, and a daughter, 16, are stuck in a windowless cabin with two bunk beds. While the teens practice handstands, Ms. Tan said, “my husband is trying to learn.” Shipboard entertainers have been assigned to record trivia quiz shows and origami-making for passengers to join along on cabin TVs. The magician recorded a performance, and a room steward demonstrated how to make a bed. Passenger Paul Molesky, left, gets a swab test aboard the Diamond Princess. PHOTO: CHERYL AND PAUL MOLESKY/ASSOCIATED PRESS Aun Na Tan's 19-year-old son perfecting his handstand, left, in the family’s windowless cabin aboard the Diamond Princess. Right, Aun Na Tan and her family. PHOTO: AUN NA TAN Coralie Williamson, 57, and her husband, Paul Williamson, 62, from Queensland, Australia, take turns reading from a book they brought, “The Resilience Project: Finding Happiness Through Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness.” The couple had booked passage with a last-minute deal: A 250-square-foot cabin with a balcony was marked down to about $1,240 for the 15-day cruise that started in Yokohama, traveled south toward Vietnam and returned. Their shared book, by Hugh van Cuylenburg, a former volunteer teacher in India, recounts the optimistic attitude among his underprivileged students. “It is helping us stay positive and express gratitude,” Mrs. Williamson said. Kimberly Vincent and Ellis Vincent aboard the Diamond Princess. PHOTO: VINCENT FAMILY Ellis Vincent, a 76-year-old retired airline executive from Sydney, Australia, said he has spent more time than customary conversing with his wife while cooped up inside. She has an excellent memory, he said: “She is able to bring up every transgression I’ve ever had. I believe she is not finished.” The operator of Diamond Princess, Princess Cruises, told passengers they would be refunded for the trip. Jan Swartz, the president of Princess Cruises, said last week the company was working closely with health authorities. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS Do you have a similarly harrowing travel story?Join the conversation below. The shipboard contagion offers an opportunity to study the virus, said Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Program. He also acknowledged Thursday that “it’s a difficult thing for anybody to live in a closed environment like that.” Japanese authorities on Friday arranged for 11 passengers to leave the ship and stay in government housing until the scheduled end of the ship’s two-week quarantine on Feb. 19. The passengers allowed to disembark were 80 and older and had met other conditions, including testing negative for the virus. The total of laboratory-confirmed cases of the coronavirus, named Covid-19, reached 64,437 in China and 24 other countries. There have been 1,384 deaths, all but three in China. The U.S. confirmed its 15th case on Thursday. How the Virus Spread on the Diamond Princess Of the 3,711 passengers and crewmembers on the ship, the virus has infected 218 people as of Feb. 13, representing over a third of all infections outside Mainland China. Feb. 10, 2020 439 tested 135 infected Source: Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Anxiety on the Diamond Princess over who will be next also infects the ship’s crew. Some were diagnosed with the virus and taken to hospitals. Those working received thermometers and were instructed to remain in their room if they had a fever. They were also given hand sanitizer, masks and gloves. One waitress who had been delivering box meals sought help after she got a cough. “I realized it’s better to test for the virus,” the woman said. She tested positive and was taken to a hospital this week. A waiter from Mumbai who worked with the woman was worried. “I feel like slowly the whole ship will be testing positive,” he said. Set sail When the Diamond Princess set off from Yokohama on Jan. 20, there weren’t widespread worries about the virus. In Wuhan, the Chinese provincial capital at the center of the outbreak, people went about their workaday lives. Passengers aboard the 116,000-ton ship, operated by Princess Cruises, expected nothing less than a pleasant East Asia trip, including stops in Hong Kong and the isles of Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay. A day before embarking, an 80-year-old man from Hong Kong developed a cough. He had crossed into mainland China’s Guangdong province 10 days earlier. Hong Kong health officials said he boarded the ship with two daughters and visited the ship’s sauna and restaurants. Jan. 20 Yokohama NORTH KOREA Sea of Japan JAPAN SOUTH KOREA Yellow Sea Jan. 22 Kagoshima CHINA TAIWAN Philippine Sea LAOS South China Sea PHILIPPINES VIETNAM 500 miles 500 km Jan. 20 Yokohama NORTH KOREA Sea of Japan JAPAN SOUTH KOREA Yellow Sea Jan. 22 Kagoshima CHINA TAIWAN Philippine Sea Jan. 25 Hong Kong LAOS South China Sea PHILIPPINES VIETNAM 500 miles 500 km On Jan. 22, two days into the cruise, the ship docked at the southern Japanese city of Kagoshima. The Hong Kong man joined a bus tour with about 40 other passengers. The ship stopped in Hong Kong on Jan. 25, shortly after Wuhan was put on a citywide lockdown. Source: MarineTraffic The news gave passengers their first inkling of how serious a turn the virus had taken. The Hong Kong man, whose name hasn’t been released by authorities, left the ship early and, five days later, he went to the hospital. During a shore excursion, a stranger at a Hong Kong subway station stopped Mrs. Williamson and suggested she wear a medical mask. “It got me worried,” she said. Mrs. Williamson and her husband looked but couldn’t find any in nearby stores. Jan. 20 Yokohama NORTH KOREA Sea of Japan JAPAN SOUTH KOREA Yellow Sea Jan. 22 Kagoshima CHINA Jan. 31 Taipei TAIWAN Philippine Sea Jan. 25 Hong Kong Jan. 28 Ha Long Bay LAOS South China Sea PHILIPPINES VIETNAM 500 miles Jan. 27 Chan May 500 km Jan. 20 Yokohama NORTH KOREA Sea of Japan JAPAN SOUTH KOREA Yellow Sea Jan. 22 Kagoshima CHINA Jan. 31 Taipei TAIWAN Philippine Sea Jan. 25 Hong Kong Jan. 28 Ha Long Bay LAOS South China Sea PHILIPPINES VIETNAM 500 miles Jan. 27 Chan May 500 km Jan. 20 Yokohama NORTH KOREA Sea of Japan JAPAN SOUTH KOREA Yellow Sea Jan. 22 Kagoshima CHINA Feb. 1 Okinawa Jan. 31 Taipei TAIWAN Philippine Sea Jan. 25 Hong Kong Jan. 28 Ha Long Bay LAOS South China Sea PHILIPPINES VIETNAM 500 miles Jan. 27 Chan May 500 km Jan. 20 Yokohama NORTH KOREA Feb. 3 Yokohama Sea of Japan JAPAN SOUTH KOREA Yellow Sea Jan. 22 Kagoshima CHINA Feb. 1 Okinawa Jan. 31 Taipei TAIWAN Philippine Sea Jan. 25 Hong Kong Jan. 28 Ha Long Bay LAOS South China Sea PHILIPPINES VIETNAM 500 miles Jan. 27 Chan May 500 km During a 2-day stopover in Vietnam, passengers shared an hourlong bus ride from Chan May to the caves of the Marble Mountain in Da Nang, and later sailed on traditional junk boats around the limestone mountains of Ha Long Bay. The Diamond Princess made port in Taipei, Taiwan, on Jan. 31. The Williamsons planned to tour the city. “There had been no talk of any of this on the ship, but we were meeting friends who were worried and asked if we had masks,” Mrs. Williamson said. The couple bought two N95 masks, the kind used by medical workers. The next day, at the trip’s last port of call before returning home, passengers headed ashore passed through an immigration inspection station at the Japanese island of Okinawa. Japan had just imposed stricter checks for entering travelers. Source: MarineTraffic Cruise passengers walked onto a disinfectant mat, then went through a thermal-imaging camera to detect higher-than-normal temperatures. People suspected of having a fever were pulled aside and asked if they had recently been to China. The new inspection procedure caused hours of delay. The mood among passengers soon turned from impatience to worry. “People started hearing that an older person had disembarked and had tested positive,” said Rebecca Frasure, 35, from Forest Grove, Ore. “People started to think, ‘Wow, this is a big deal.’ ” Mr. Vincent, the retired airline executive, had hoped to visit the site of the World War II Battle of Okinawa. He and his wife, he said, “ended up going to the quarantine hall and turning right around and getting back on the ship.” Coralie Williamson and Paul Williamson at a stopover in Kagoshima, Japan, before passengers were quarantined aboard the Diamond Princess. Right, Mr. Williamson passes the time reading and writing PHOTO: CORALIE WILLIAMSON Meals on the Diamond Princess are delivered to passenger cabins in boxes. PHOTO: KENT FRASURE Late that day, Hong Kong’s health authority announced that the 80-year-old Hong Kong man who left the cruise early had the coronavirus disease. Japanese officials said a formal notification didn’t arrive until the next day, Feb. 2. If it had come earlier, the Diamond Princess might have been refused entry to Japan, said Kenichi Hoshino, a health ministry official. Another cruise ship, the Westerdam, headed for Japan later that week was denied access and stayed at sea until receiving permission to dock Thursday in Cambodia. From Okinawa, the Diamond Princess, with 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew, headed for Yokohama and another immigration inspection. Ship passengers said they didn’t get any special precautions on the last leg of the trip. Open bar Diamond Princess revelers crowded the captain’s farewell cocktail hour after sunset on Feb. 2. They drank free beer and wine in the ship’s atrium, which rose three decks. Guests filled seats in the Princess Theater for a production of the musical “Bravo.” Lines of diners stretched past buffet tables. Revelers on the Diamond Princess on Feb. 2, the night of the captain’s farewell cocktail hour. PHOTO: PHILIP AND GAY COURTER/REUTERS Kazunori Oishi, who formerly headed infectious-disease surveillance at Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases, said it was a ripe environment for the virus to spread. Delays in recognizing the danger “created a lot of occasions for close contact,” said Dr. Oishi, especially the eating, drinking and conviviality that is common in the close confines of a cruise ship. On the evening of Feb. 3, the Diamond Princess arrived in Tokyo Bay. Japanese health officials met the ship. They took the temperature of passengers and later collected throat swabs from those suspected of having the virus. The next day, Feb. 4, passengers mingled without restrictions or warnings, said Mr. Vincent, the retired airline executive. “We could eat where we want, we could go where we want.” Early the next morning, everything changed. Around 6:30 a.m. a captain’s announcement startled passengers. He ordered them to stay in their cabins. Shortly after, he said that 10 people had tested positive for the virus. Then he announced that everyone on board was under quarantine for two weeks. The only exception was one nobody wanted: a positive test for the virus. The Diamond Princess Guests: 2,666 Crew: 1,045 205 ft 952 ft Decks: 18 Guest cabins: 1,337 Guest capacity: 2,700 Crew capacity: 1,100 Sources: Princess Cruises; Sadayuki Goto/AP (Photo) Quarantine officers first entered the ship without full body suits, and one contracted the virus. Over the following days, dozens of people a day tested positive. A parade of ambulances ferried them to hospitals. As fear spread, some passengers called for everyone on board to be tested. Japan rejected the request, citing logistical hurdles. With many elderly people under stress, other medical problems emerged. Mr. Vincent’s wife, Kimberly Vincent, 73, learned that a friend on the ship suffered a stroke and was taken to a hospital. Tadashi Chida, a retired university professor in his 70s, organized an impromptu group, the Emergency Support Network for Those Living Under Quarantine on the Diamond Princess. The group submitted two sheets of handwritten demands to a health ministry official aboard the Diamond Princess. What It’s Like for Cruise Ship Passengers During Coronavirus Outbreak YOU MAY ALSO LIKE UP NEXT 0:00 / 3:13 What It’s Like for Cruise Ship Passengers During Coronavirus Outbreak More than 170 people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama, Japan. Here’s how sick and healthy passengers are dealing with the quarantine. Photo: Toru Hanai/Bloomberg Among other things, they asked for faster refills for people who were running out of their medical prescriptions. They also asked for clean sheets. Both demands were met a few days later. More than 100 doctors, pharmacists and nurses are now on the Diamond Princess every day. Passengers have since been allowed stroll the deck for an hour in limited groups. They have been told to stay at least 6 feet from others. Mrs. Williamson said she and her husband weren’t interested. “We’d rather stay in our cabins and exercise and not expose ourselves,” she said. Meals are still being prepared on the ship. When the food arrives, the Williamsons have to put on a protective mask before opening the door. “Every time service comes around, we say, ‘Wait, wait, wait,’ and go to put on our mask,” Mrs. Williamson said. Passengers are allowed walks on ship decks, but they must wear face masks and keep at least 6 feet from each other. PHOTO: AUN NA TAN Rebecca Frasure at the Keelung night market in Taipei, Taiwan, left, before she tested positive for the coronavirus disease. Mrs. Frasure at a Tokyo hospital, right. PHOTO: PROVIDED BY KENT FRASURE Kent Frasure’s wife, Rebecca Frasure, was among 41 people on board diagnosed with the virus on Feb. 7. She remains in an isolation ward of a Tokyo hospital. Mr. Frasure, 42, has tested negative. He is anxious for the couple to be reunited and worries the quarantine may stretch longer than two weeks. “If this goes past Feb. 19, there will be panic, Mr. Frasure said. “Then it will be, ‘Are we ever going to get off the boat?’ ” Not all shipboard amenities have disappeared. The Valentine’s Day box dinner included teriyaki shrimp and heart-shaped chocolate mousse. “The pastry chef is my hero,” said Mrs. Courter, the American novelist on board. “I think he thinks he can sedate us with chocolate, which, you know, is not a crazy idea.” —Miho Inada, Rachel Yeo and Betsy McKay contributed to this article. Workers in protective suits walk from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. PHOTO: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES —Graphics by Roque Ruiz and Elbert Wang. https://www.wsj.com/articles/fear-and-boredom-aboard-the-quarantined-coronavirus-cruise-ship-11581705677?mod=hp_lead_pos5
Admin Posted February 15, 2020 Report Posted February 15, 2020 The U.S. government is preparing to evacuate some American citizens from aboard the ship, according to an official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 380 Americans and their families on the ship, docked in Yokohama, Japan, will be offered seats on two State Department-organized planes flying back to the U.S., said Henry Walke, director of the CDC’s Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections, on Friday. They are arriving in the U.S. as early as Sunday, he said.
Admin Posted February 15, 2020 Report Posted February 15, 2020 U.S. to Evacuate Some Americans From Diamond Princess Cruise Ship Evacuees likely to go to Travis Air Force Base in California The quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama, Japan. PHOTO: JAE C. HONG/ASSOCIATED PRESS By Shan Li Feb. 14, 2020 9:20 pm ET SAVE PRINT TEXT 2 TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.—The U.S. government is preparing to evacuate American citizens from aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, the site of the biggest outbreak of the novel coronavirus outside China, according to an official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 380 Americans and their families on the ship, docked in Yokohama, Japan, will be offered seats on two State Department-organized planes flying back to the U.S., said Henry Walke, director of the CDC’s Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections, on Friday. They are arriving in the U.S. as early as Sunday, he said. The cruise ship was put under a two-week quarantine on Feb. 5. Since then, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases from the ship has climbed to 218. A CDC team is on the ground in Japan to assess the health of the passengers, Dr. Walke said. Those with a fever, cough or other symptoms won’t be allowed on the flights. Evacuees will likely arrive first at Travis Air Force Base near Sacramento, Calif., where they will undergo additional health screenings, said Dr. Walke. Some will likely remain at Travis to undergo a mandatory quarantine, which will likely be 14 days, he said. Others may be moved to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio to quarantine. Travis is already the quarantine site for roughly 230 people evacuated from Wuhan earlier this month, and Dr. Walke spoke in a town-hall meeting with those people on Friday. These evacuees will be kept separate from the fresh group arriving from the ship, he said. Write to Shan Li at [email protected] https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-to-evacuate-some-americans-from-diamond-princess-cruise-ship-11581733214?tesla=y&mod=article_inline
niman Posted February 15, 2020 Author Report Posted February 15, 2020 Media Statement For Immediate Release Saturday, February 15, 2020 Contact: CDC Media Relations (404) 639-3286 Diamond Princess Repatriation The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is supporting the Department of State-led mission to repatriate U.S. citizens who want to return to the United States from Japan, currently aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship. HHS is committed to protecting the health and safety of all Americans. To fulfill our responsibilities to U.S. citizens, as well as to reduce the burden on the Japanese healthcare system, the U.S. government recommends that U.S. citizens disembark and return to the United States for further monitoring. These measures are consistent with the careful policies we have instituted to limit the potential spread of the disease. There are approximately 400 U.S. citizens onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Due to the dynamic nature of the outbreak, the U.S. government recommends that U.S. citizens disembark and return to the United States. Americans returned by flights chartered by the State Department will be subject to a 14-day, federal quarantine and be housed at two existing federal quarantine sites for repatriated travelers: · Travis Air Force Base in California · Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas Those passengers returning from Japan will be housed separately from individuals already in quarantine from previous Wuhan repatriation flights. All travelers from Japan will be screened before boarding the State Department-chartered aircraft to prevent symptomatic travelers from departing Japan. These planes will be met by a team of U.S. Government personnel deployed there to assess the health of the passengers. The passengers will be screened before leaving the ship and monitored and evaluated by medical and public health personnel every step of the way, including before takeoff, during the flight, and after arrival. U.S. Government staff will conduct risk assessments to ensure the health of each traveler, including temperature checks and observation for respiratory symptoms. Travelers will be monitored during the flight to Travis Air Force Base where all travelers will be screened again. Any passengers taken onward to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland will be monitored during that flight as well and screened upon arrival in Texas. This is an evolving situation and every day we learn more about this virus. We continue to believe the risk of exposure to novel coronavirus 2019 to the general public is currently low. The U.S. Government is taking these measures to fully assess and care for these repatriated Americans to protect them, their loved ones, and their communities. We are deeply grateful to the government of Japan for their extraordinary care and hospitality and their assistance facilitating the care and return of our citizens. For the latest information on the outbreak, visit CDC’s Novel Coronavirus 2019 website.
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