16 more Filipinos onboard Diamond Princess test positive for COVID-19; total now at 27
By Roy Mabasa
The number of Filipinos onboard cruise ship MV Diamond Princess who have tested positive of Coronavirus disease 2019 is now 27, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Monday.
A passenger wearing a mask stands on the deck of the cruise ship Diamond Princess, as the vessel's passengers continue to be tested for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan February 13, 2020. (REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Citing a report from the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, the DFA said the number includes the 16 new cases that were confirmed on Saturday, February 15.
All 27 Filipinos who tested positive for the virus are crewmembers of the cruise ship. There are more than 500 Filipinos employed by the Diamond Princess.
However, it noted that no Filipinos are included in the new group of 70 confirmed cases announced by the Japanese Government on Sunday.
The Japanese Health Ministry earlier announced that all crew and passengers onboard will be tested today, and test results will be available by the time the ship’s quarantine period ends.
“The Embassy is in close coordination with the relevant Philippine and Japanese government agencies, and representatives of the World Health Organization and Princess Cruises to ensure that the needs of the Filipino crew and passengers are met and to facilitate their return to the Philippines,” the DFA said.
A passenger wearing a mask stands on the deck of the cruise ship Diamond Princess, as the vessel's passengers continue to be tested for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan February 13, 2020. (REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Citing a report from the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, the DFA said the number includes the 16 new cases that were confirmed on Saturday, February 15.
All 27 Filipinos who tested positive for the virus are crewmembers of the cruise ship. There are more than 500 Filipinos employed by the Diamond Princess.
However, it noted that no Filipinos are included in the new group of 70 confirmed cases announced by the Japanese Government on Sunday.
The Japanese Health Ministry earlier announced that all crew and passengers onboard will be tested today, and test results will be available by the time the ship’s quarantine period ends.
“The Embassy is in close coordination with the relevant Philippine and Japanese government agencies, and representatives of the World Health Organization and Princess Cruises to ensure that the needs of the Filipino crew and passengers are met and to facilitate their return to the Philippines,” the DFA said.