NEW DELHI: Two Indian crew onboard a cruise ship off Japanese coast have tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday and the ship has been kept in quarantine at anchor, said an official statement.
Out of 3,711 persons on board, including 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew members, 132 crew members and six passengers are Indian nationals, according to the statement by the Ministry of External Affairs.
“Due to suspicion of novel Coronavirus (nCoV) infection, the ship has been quarantined by the Japanese authorities till February 19, 2020. As of February 12, 2020, altogether 174 people have tested positive for nCoV, including two Indian crew members,” it said.
The ministry said that all 174 have been taken to hospitals for adequate treatment — including further quarantine, under the Japanese health protocol and those who have not tested positive, irrespective of their nationality, have not been allowed to disembark.
However, an exception has been made for critically ill passengers and crew members, who have been allowed to be taken to hospitals/medical facilities, under supervision, for further treatment and quarantine.
The Embassy of India in Tokyo has been in constant contact with the relevant Japanese authorities to ensure the welfare of Indian nationals on board the ship as well as the possibility of their early disembarkation, in case they are not found to have tested positive for nCoV, the statement added.
Media reports had earlier showed a video of Indian crew members pleading PM Narendra Modi and the UN to segregate the Indians on board the ship on an urgent basis. One of them in the video, identified as Binay Kumar Sarkar, said, “Please somehow save us... What’s the point if something happens (to us)...I want to request the government of India and Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi-ji, please... bring us back home safely.”
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