Coronavirus Cases on Diamond Princess Climb to 135

Princess Cruises on Monday confirmed an additional 65 people on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan have tested positive for Coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases onboard to 135. The ship has been on lockdown in Yokohama since Feb. 3, when it returned to port after a former passenger tested positive for the virus after disembarking in Hong Kong the week prior. So far, 439 people have been tested after exhibiting potential symptoms of Coronavirus or admitting to making direct contact with the Hong Kong man. Among the infected guests are 24 U.S. passengers. The vast majority of cases are among Japanese passengers. All those who tested positive for the virus have been brought ashore for treatment by Japanese health officials. Other passengers remain quarantined in their staterooms. Santa Clarita-based Princess said it will refund the full cruise fair for all guests, including air travel, hotels and ground transportation. The cruise line will also give them 100 percent credit for a future cruise of their choice. As a result of the quarantine, two Diamond Princess cruises scheduled to depart from Yokohama on Feb. 4 and Feb. 12 have been cancelled. Guests for those cruises also received full refunds. With the ship’s capacity of more than 2,600 guests, the cancellations will result in millions of dollars of revenue lost for Princess. In a press release on Feb. 6, Princess said the Japanese Ministry of Health confirmed the quarantine will end on Feb. 19 barring any unforeseen developments. The global death toll from the newly discovered virus has climbed to 910 as of Monday afternoon.