A Russian woman who was on board the Diamond Princess cruise liner docked in Yokohama, Japan, has tested positive for coronavirus following examinations by the Japanese authorities, the Russian Embassy to Japan said on Monday, Reuters informs.
The woman will be taken to a hospital and treated, the embassy said in a post on Facebook. She is thought to be the first Russian national to contract the virus after the two previous cases found in Russia were Chinese nationals.
Across mainland China, officials said the total number of coronavirus cases rose by 2,048 to 70,548, with 1,770 deaths. Outside China, more than 500 infections have been confirmed, mostly in people who traveled from Chinese cities, with five deaths – in Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and France.
Japan and Singapore appeared to be on the brink of recession as the epidemic disrupted tourism and supply chains around the world, while China imposed tougher restrictions to prevent the virus from spreading further.
Holland America Line said it was working with governments and health experts to track passengers who disembarked from its Westerdam cruise ship in Cambodia after an American woman tested positive in Malaysia.
The cruise line, which is owned by cruise giant Carnival Corp, said none of the other 1,454 passengers and 802 crew had reported any symptoms.
“Guests who have already returned home will be contacted by their local health department and be provided further information,” a statement from the company said.
The case raises questions about how companies and countries should handle monitoring and quarantine for people who may have been exposed to the new virus, since the woman had passed the usually presumed incubation period of 14 days, Reuters informed.
Passengers had been cleared to travel by Cambodian authorities after health checks when the cruise ship docked on Thursday. It had spent two weeks at sea after being turned away by Japan, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines and Thailand.
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