Indians stuck in cruise ship in Japan due to coronavirus outbreak appeal for help

NEW DELHI: Some 200 Indian crew members and passengers stuck in a luxury cruise ship Diamond Princess in Japan due to coronavirus outbreak have urged Indian authorities to evacuate them.

In one of his social media posts, the 30-year-old is seen appealing to authorities seeking their intervention.

“We are in fear. We are nearly 200 Indian crew on board. We have not tested positive. We want to disembark and be properly quarantined.” He said he was speaking directly, breaking protocol, because he was scared. “If I do not speak out, tomorrow I don’t know if I will be alive or dead,” he said in Hindi, according to Indian Express.

Reports claim that out of 3,700 members in the ship 61 had tested positive and 41 had contracted the virus.

Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India, tweeted

https://twitter.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1225785645546823680

Through a tweet. the Cruise company announced that “The Japanese Ministry of Health has confirmed the #DiamondPrincess quarantine end date will be February 19, unless there are any other unforeseen developments.”

“Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans,” stated WHO.

Most common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing, said WHO.

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