Santa Clarita residents have been quarantined aboard the Diamond Princess off the coast of Japan which has dozens of confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

UPDATE (11:00 p.m. Sunday): 66 additional passengers aboard the Diamond Princess have tested positive for the coronavirus. The ship had pulled into port at an isolated dock in Yokohama, Japan (about an hour outside of Tokyo) on Monday night. Approximately two dozen ambulances, military trucks and other emergency vehicles are waiting outside the ship as each victim is removed one at a time. This brings the total outbreak on board to 135.

See Related: Part Two: Santa Clarita Residents Share First-Hand Experience Of Coronavirus Quarantine On Diamond Princess

The ship has a population of 3,766 passengers and crew quarantined for 14-days. The remaining passengers and crew are self-testing with individual thermometers a minimum of three times per day. Anyone showing a temperature above 37.5 degrees Celsius or 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit must immediately report to the ship’s hospital.

The 66 new victims are currently being sent to various Yokohama hospitals.

Quarantined on the Diamond Princess. Day 6. Coronavirus. Posted by KHTS Radio on Sunday, February 9, 2020

UPDATE (9:45 p.m. Saturday): Officials have confirmed that an additional six cases of coronavirus, tested by the Japanese Ministry of Health on Diamond Princess, have been confirmed. That brings the total to 70 counting the first passenger who exited in Hong Kong.

Additionally, over the past two days, ten guests disembarked in need of medical attention other than the coronavirus.

“Our guests and crew on-board Diamond Princess are the focus of our entire global organization right now and all of our hearts are with each of them,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. “In this unprecedented situation, the Japanese Ministry of Health authorities are working with us collaboratively on additional enhancements, approving new procedures as we adapt our process to the unique challenges of this situation.”

UPDATE (8 p.m. Saturday): Princess officials have notified passengers aboard that 14 to 16 additional people have been taken off the ship for “other health reasons” than the coronavirus.

UPDATE (9 p.m. Friday): Officials on board the ship have informed the Goldmans that two additional individuals have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, bringing the total up to 63 as of Friday night.

Original Story: Carl Goldman and Jeri Seratti-Goldman, owners of KHTS Radio, are two of the thousands of passengers now quarantined on the Diamond Princess in the port of Yokohama, Japan.

“It’s been an adventure,” Goldman said. “We are quarantined in our cabin for two weeks. The Princess crew has been stellar, delivering three great meals a day to our room and trying to take care of our needs.”

The Goldmans were on the tail end of a 16-day cruise through Southeast Asia when the Diamond Princess was put under quarantine.

“We are making the best of our adventure,” Seratti-Goldman said. “We are working remotely. Today I’m doing laundry in our bathtub as we are running low on clean clothes. We’ve been watching a lot of movies, reading and enjoying each other.”

On Tuesday, the first phase of health screening of all guests and crew onboard Diamond Princess by the Japanese Ministry of Health was completed, according to a statement from Princess Cruises.

As of Friday, the number grew from the initially reported 10 cases of coronavirus to at least 61, according to Princess officials.

A passenger from Hong Kong boarded the Diamond Princess in Japan on Jan. 20, leaving the cruise five days later.

After disembarking from the cruise line in Hong Kong, the passenger began to present symptoms and sought out medical attention.

On Feb. 1, the passenger was officially diagnosed with the coronavirus.

See Related: Santa Clarita Residents Share First-Hand Account Of Quarantine On Diamond Princess Cruise Ship Due To Coronavirus



After arriving in Yokohama, Japan, public health authorities boarded Princess Cruises and screened all the 2,333 passengers and 1,100 crew, according to the cruise line.

After testing, health officials initially discovered ten patients who tested positive for the novel corona virus. They were sent in ambulances to hospitals in Yokohama. The ship was placed on a 14-day quarantine, not allowing passengers to leave their cabins.

“It has been confirmed that the ship will remain under quarantine in Yokohama. The length of the quarantine will be at least 14 days as required by the Ministry of Health,” Princess officials said in a statement on Wednesday.

After the initial announcement of 10 coronavirus cases on the Diamond Princess, an additional 10 cases were reported, as Japanese public health officials continued to screen passengers and crew. They too were sent to hospitals in Yokohama.

Later Wednesday, an additional 41 people were determined to have the virus, bringing the current total to 61, plus the passenger who left the ship in Hong Kong.

The passengers aboard the ship who have been diagnosed with the coronavirus have been taken by the Japanese Coast Guard to receive medical attention on-shore, according to Princess officials. Later in the week, once the ship was allowed to dock in a sealed-off port, the additional patients were sent to Yokohama hospitals by ambulance.

The 61 passengers aboard the Diamond Princess diagnosed with coronavirus are residents from around the globe, with 12 confirmed cases involving United States residents.

The additional coronavirus cases include 28 residents of Japan, seven residents of Australia, seven residents of Canada, three residents of Hong Kong, one resident of Taiwan, one of New Zealand, one of Argentina and one of the United Kingdom.

The passengers who remain quarantined are set to continue to be provided complimentary internet and telephone to use in order to stay in contact with their family and loved ones, according to the cruise line.

Currently, health officials are awaiting lab results of additional passengers and crew who were displaying symptoms.

Princess Cruises will continue to fully cooperate with and follow the instructions of global medical authorities and the Japanese government.

Ed. Note: For media inquiries or interviews please email Devon@hometownstation.com

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