The Japanese government will not allow a cruise ship operated by Miami-based Carnival Corporation to visit the country as scheduled for fear of coronavirus contamination.
The Holland America Line Westerdam ship was scheduled to visit several Japanese cities and pick up new passengers in Yokohama, outside Tokyo, on Feb. 15. The cruise originally departed from Hong Kong on Feb. 1.
Holland America Line said the company is starting pre-boarding medical checks for passengers who appear symptomatic and denying boarding to those who have traveled to China in the last 14 days.
"We are quickly working to develop alternate plans and are keeping guests updated on board as information becomes available," Holland America Line said in a statement.
The company said there are no known cases of coronavirus on board the Westerdam at this time. Japanese broadcasting network NHK reported that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at least one person on board is suspected of being infected. There are 1,455 passengers and 802 crew members onboard, including 662 people from the United States.
Japan is holding another Carnival Corp. ship, the Diamond Princess, in a two-week quarantine at the Yokohama port, while health ministry workers test all 3,771 people on board. So far, 20 people on the ship have tested positive for the coronavirus, and there may be more victims in coming days as officials continue testing. Seven of the infected passengers are from Japan, three from the U.S., three from Hong Kong, two from Canada, two from Australia, one from Taiwan, and one from New Zealand. One person is a Princess Cruises crew member from the Philippines.
The coronavirus is a respiratory illness that has killed more than 560 people worldwide and has infected more than 28,000 people across 25 countries, including the United States, since it was first identified in Wuhan, China, about two months ago. Japan has 45 confirmed cases, according to a tracker from the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
Twelve people have tested positive for the coronavirus in the United States, with 76 people pending testing as of Wednesday, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention said. None of the confirmed cases are in Florida.
