Many Indian crew & some Indian passengers are onboard the cruise ship #DiamondPrincess quarantined off Japan due to… https://t.co/4hB80sKXok — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) 1581085046000

NEW DELHI: A total of 138 Indians — 132 crew members and six passengers — are among the 3,700 odd passengers and crew members onboard Japanese cruise liner Diamond Princess that is quarantined at Yokohama, Japan , for the past few days due to the coronavirus fear. So far 63 people on board — none of them Indians — have tested positive for coronavirus and have been moved to hospitals.Princess Cruises, the operator of this cruise ship, said Diamond Princess went out to sea at 9am (Japan time) Saturday, “to perform normal marine operations, including the production of fresh water. The ship will be at sea for about 24 hours.Public health authorities have approved the ship’s protocol to service rooms, (which) will take place while guests are outside their staterooms for scheduled fresh air periods. During these scheduled periods, two crew members will conduct a thorough cleaning of the staterooms, including fresh linens and towels.”The Japanese health ministry of Health “has been the lead public health authority defining the testing protocols for all guests and crew on Diamond Princess. Questions on the timeline, test results and reporting protocols should be directed to them. The quarantine end date remains at February 19, unless there are any unforeseen developments,” the cruise operator added.This ship is currently believed to be the largest known cluster of coronavirus infection outside China. “We are very appreciative of the Japanese government for moving proactively to provide the ship additional medical professionals and 7,000 protective face masks. Those resources include 16 doctors plus 12 additional personnel which includes teams of nurses and clerks,” the Princess Cruises statement added.An 80-year-old person disembarked from this ship after spending five days in it, in Hong Kong on January 25 and had tested positive for coronavirus later. The ship was quarantined when it returned to Yokohama port this Monday.First 20 people on board tested positive, followed by 41 more later. Passengers have been given thermometers and asked to alert crew if temperature rises beyond 99.6 degrees Fahrenheit.Public spaces on the ship have been shut down and people onbard have to spend their time mainly in their cabins. Princess Cruises says there were 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew currently onboard covering a range of nationalities, and almost half the guests onboard are Japanese.“During the remainder of the time onboard, guests will continue to be provided complimentary internet and telephone service to stay in contact with their family and loved ones. In addition, we have added additional live TV channels and a large selection of in-room movies available in multiple languages. The cruise activities staff is packaging games, puzzles and trivia and delivering them to guest staterooms,” the cruise operator said on Friday.The people onboard Diamond Princess aren’t the only ones left in virtually floating-infected prisons in Asia. A cruise ship, World Dream, is in quarantine in Hong King since Wednesday after eight passengers tested positive. And another ship, Westerdam, is struggling to find a place to port after being refused docking by both Taiwan and Japan.channels and a large selection of in-room movies available in multiple languages. The cruise activities staff is packaging games, puzzles and trivia and delivering them to guest staterooms,” the cruise operator added.