February 16 coronavirus news

The company that owns the Westerdam cruise ship, which docked in Cambodia, has acknowledged that one of its disembarked passengers has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The company says that no other guests or crew, “on board or on their way home,” have reported being ill.

 “On Feb. 10, 2020, all 2,257 passengers and crew on board Westerdam were screened for illness including the taking of individual temperatures. No individual was identified with an elevated temperature. Also during disembarkation in Cambodia guests underwent an additional health screening including the completion of a written health questionnaire," the company said.

Holland America added: “Furthermore, the passports of everyone on board were reviewed to ensure no one had traveled through mainland China in the 14 days prior to the cruise. During the voyage there was no indication of COVID-19 on the ship. The guest who tested positive did not visit the ship’s medical center to report any symptoms of illness.”

The US plan to evacuate Americans and their families from the Diamond Princess cruise ship appears, on its face, to be the case of a powerful government coming to the aide of its most vulnerable citizens.

Thousands of people have been stuck in their cabins under mandatory quarantine aboard the Diamond Princess, which is docked off the Japanese port city of Yokohama, since Feb. 3.

With 356 confirmed cases of coronavirus on board, 70 of which were announced Sunday, the ship has the largest concentration of novel coronavirus cases outside mainland China. On Feb. 19, the controversial quarantine period was set to finally end.

But on Saturday afternoon, the US embassy in Tokyo sent a notice to Americans on board the Diamond Princess laying out plans to evacuate nearly 400 Americans back home. 

Once there, another 14 days of mandatory quarantine would begin, and anyone who chose not to get on the flight would have to wait another 14 days in Japan to ensure they were symptom-free before returning to the US.

Some exhausted passengers aboard the ship are angry. 

One reason the passengers are so upset is because, as early as last week, experts had been questioning the Japanese government's decision to quarantine people on the ship.

What all of this may mean: The abrupt change in US policy led some to believe that Washington lost faith in the effectiveness of the Japanese response.

Earlier this week, it emerged that some 1,000 crew on board the ship had not been kept in quarantine, eating meals together with masks off and working side by side.

Read the full story here.

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio has announced his government is planning to bring back 35 Italians currently on Diamond Princess cruise in Japan.

In a statement released on Sunday, Di Maio said a flight is expected to depart to bring the Italian citizens back, without giving more specific details of the flight.

“Italy never leaves its citizens alone. We are Italians, no one should be left behind,” the statement added without giving specific details about the flight.

Di Maio thanked all of those in his country and abroad providing support to his citizens.

A British man quarantined on board the Diamond Princess has said British nationals on board the cruise liner feel “forgotten,” as other countries start to evacuate their citizens from the ship. 

Outside China, the largest outbreak of novel coronavirus is on board the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship quarantined at Yokohama, a port south of Tokyo. Thousands of passengers have been under strict controls on board for almost two weeks now, and on Sunday, a US government chartered flight is expected to evacuate nearly 400 Americans from the ship back to the United States where they will be placed in another 14-day quarantine.

On Saturday, Canada also announced plans to charter a plane to evacuate its citizens from the Diamond Princess. 

A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in a statement:

Hong Kong authorities says one more coronavirus case has been confirmed, after a 54-year-old man tested positive.

The man initially did not show symptoms but was later confirmed to have the virus after a second test Saturday evening. He had not been in contact with high-risk patients, authorities said on Sunday.

Hong Kong cases: This new case brings the total confirmed coronavirus cases in Hong Kong to 57, including one fatality.

Princess Cruises has cancelled voyages aboard the Diamond Princess through April 20 because of the prolonged quarantine period, the company announced in a tweet. 

Customers with questions about their itineraries are being asked to consult the Itinerary Modifications and Cancellations page on the company's website. 

Whats happening on the ship? The Diamond Princess cruise ship is currently quarantined at Yokohama, a port south of Tokyo with thousands of passengers who have been under strict controls on board since February 5.

US evacuations: On Sunday, a US government chartered flight is expected to evacuate nearly 400 Americans from the ship back to the United States where they will be placed in another 14-day quarantine. 

Americans who have already tested positive for coronavirus, as well as those showing symptoms of the virus, will not be allowed to board the evacuation charters, and will remain in Japan for treatment. 

On Saturday, Canada also announced plans to charter a plane to evacuate its citizens from the Diamond Princess. 

Three Israelis have tested positive for coronavirus on board the Diamond Princess, Israel’s Ministry of Health said Sunday morning. The three are not in serious condition, officials said in a statement.

The Israelis who have tested positive are being moved to a hospital in Japan, the Ministry said. Israel will send a specialist doctor to Japan as part of their treatment. The Ministry of Health is also working with other Israeli citizens on board the Diamond Princess to bring them home on a direct flight if they do not test positive for coronavirus. 

In Jerusalem, a mass prayer will be held at the Western Wall in the Old City on Sunday afternoon “in hope to stop the coronavirus epidemic,” the Community Rabbinical Association announced over the weekend.

There are now at least 69,260 global confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, and 1,666 deaths. Here's where:        

1. Australia (15 cases)         

2. Belgium (1 case)         

3. Cambodia (1 case)        

4. Canada (7 cases)         

5. Finland (1 case)         

6. France (11 cases, 1 death)         

7. Germany (16 cases)         

8. Hong Kong (56 cases, 1 death)         

9. India (3 cases)         

10. Italy (3 cases)         

11. Japan (407 total: 51 cases on land including 1 death + 356 from cruise ship)  

12. Macao (10 cases)         

13. Malaysia (19 cases)        

14. Nepal (1 case)         

15. Philippines (3 cases, 1 death)         

16. Russia (2 cases)         

17. Singapore (72 cases)                 

18. South Korea (29 cases)  

19. Spain (2 cases)         

20. Sri Lanka (1 case)         

21. Sweden (1 case)         

22. Taiwan (18 cases)         

23. Thailand (33 cases)        

24. United Arab Emirates (8 cases)        

25. United Kingdom (8 cases)         

26. United States (15 cases)        

27. Vietnam (16 cases)

28:  Egypt (1 case) 

There are 46 Americans among those from the Diamond Princess Cruise ship, now in Yokohama, Japan, who have tested positive for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia, Princess Cruises told CNN on Sunday.

These are not new cases, but rather a clarification on the nationalities of the 286 that have already been announced.

Any Americans who have the coronavirus, or anyone who shows symptoms, will not be able to take the US government charter planes on Sunday. Those people will have to remain in Japanese hospitals.