By Agence France-Presse
The number of people who have tested positive for the new coronavirus on a quarantined ship off Japan's coast has risen to 355, the country's health minister said Sunday.
Military personnel and medical staff clad in protective gear are seen at work near the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama on February 13, 2020. - At least 218 people on board a cruise ship quarantined off Japan have tested positive for the novel COVID-19 coronavirus, authorities said February 13 as they announced plans to move some elderly passengers off the ship. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
"So far, we have conducted tests for 1,219 individuals. Of those, 355 people tested positive. Of those, 73 individuals are not showing symptoms," Katsunobu Kato told a roundtable discussion on public broadcaster NHK -- a rise of 70 from the last government toll.
The new figures came as the United States was preparing to evacuate some of its citizens from the Diamond Princess, which has been in quarantine since February 5 in the port of Yokohama, near Tokyo.
Hong Kong also said it would offer its 330 citizens on board the chance to take a charter flight back.
"Based on the high number of COVID-19 cases identified onboard the Diamond Princess, the Department of Health and Human Services made an assessment that passengers and crew members on board are at high risk of exposure," the US embassy said in a letter to its passengers.