Coronavirus outbreak: Death toll surpasses total from SARS outbreak

Personnel clad in protective gear on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship prepare to conduct a transfer in Yokohama on February 7, 2020. Photo by KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images

When the Diamond Princess cruise ship went into quarantine in Yokohama, Japan, it had 428 US citizens on board.

At least 13 of them have already been confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus, which has spread quickly through the ship. In total, 70 passengers have the virus.

US author Gay Courter, who is on board the ship, told CNN that she was desperate to get off but was being blocked by US and Japanese authorities, despite her insurance provider agreeing to evacuate her.

"I (just) do not want to go home in a box," she said.

The US embassy in Tokyo today issued a message to all the Americans on board the Diamond Princess, reassuring them that their "welfare and safety" was their top priority.

"The safest option to minimize the risk of infection is to remain in your cabin on the ship, as passengers on the Diamond Princess are doing," the letter said, adding that after their quarantine was over there would be no further protective measures when they returned to the US.

The embassy added that if anyone on board was running low on medication they needed to let the ship's medical center know as soon as possible.

"The US Embassy and the Department of State continue to closely monitor the situation," the statement said.

Let's block ads! (Why?)