YOKOHAMA -- Passengers on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship currently anchored at Yokohama Port began disembarking on Wednesday morning.
The people who are leaving the boat are free from fever or other symptoms, and have tested negative for the coronavirus. According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, about 500 passengers were expected to disembark Wednesday out of the about 3,000 passengers and crew members aboard.
The passengers had been isolated in the ship to prevent the spread of the new virus ever since the Diamond Princess returned to Yokohama on Feb. 3. Wearing protective masks, they started disembarking at around 11 a.m., carrying large suitcases and heading for buses and taxis waiting at Yokohama Port.
The ministry plans to allow the remaining passengers to get off the ship by Friday.
The ship's operator said it will hold discussions with the Japanese government about the handling of crew members after all the passengers have exited the ship.
The Diamond Princess left Yokohama on Jan. 20 and was traveling abroad when it was learned that a passenger who had disembarked in Hong Kong along the way had been infected by the new virus. The ministry has been conducting health checks on people aboard since the ship returned to Yokohama on the evening of Feb. 3.
The health ministry initially planned to conduct health checks only on people who had symptoms, such as fever and cough, as well as those who came into contact with them. Those who tested positive would be hospitalized so that people who had no symptoms and tested negative could be discharged quickly.
However, 10 people were found on Feb. 5 to have been infected. The ministry then suspended its initial plan and asked passengers to stay inside their cabins for five to 14 days in consideration for the virus remaining dormant.
Passengers who were kept on the ship tested positive one after another. Test results for 2,404 passengers out of the 3,711 on board were obtained as of Tuesday, and a total of 542 had tested positive.
Passengers and crew members have not come into contact with each other since Feb. 5. Based on this fact, the ministry believes the risk of infection can be eliminated if the passengers have no symptoms after 14 days and test negative. After disembarking from the ship, the passengers will return to their daily lives.
However, if family members or other cabinmates were found to have been infected, even people who have tested negative and were ready to disembark will have to stay onboard for another 14 days to confirm their health condition.
A 77-year-old man from Minato Ward, Tokyo, left the boat with his wife, 70. "I'm tired but relieved. We love cruises and used to sign up a lot, but this is the first time we've ever experienced this. We want to go home soon and relax," said the man, who was wearing a mask.
Suga: We did our best
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Wednesday morning that the government "has taken maximum care to ensure the health of passengers and crew."
"We first lowered the risk of infection on the ship as a whole by taking such measures as asking the passengers to stay inside their cabins, and then began conducting checkups in order of priority, such as on people who have symptoms and the elderly," Suga said.
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