CDC: Coronavirus lived on Diamond Princess cruise ship for up to 17 days
A look at a CDC study that found coronavirus lived on Diamond Princess cruise ship for up to 17 days.
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The Diamond Princess cruise ship has left Japan for Malaysia to repatriate its remaining crew members after being docked for months, following an early outbreak of the novel coronavirus that reportedly killed 13 people and infected 712 others.
Princess Cruises’ ship had been quarantined in Yokohama since February, and departed for Port Dickson on Saturday to repatriate the 170 employees still on board, USA Today reports.
A general view of the Diamond Princess cruise ship. (Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images)
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The Diamond Princess' iill-fatef voyage first departed Yokohama on Jan. 20, but cut its sailing short and returned after a passenger tested positive for COVID-19. The outbreak of the viral disease spread, and ultimately claimed the lives of 13 people while infecting 712 others, among the 3,700 passengers and crew on board.
At one point, the ocean liner was "host to the highest concentration of the coronavirus cases outside China,” where COVID-19 is believed to have originated from, according to The New York Times.
The Diamond Princess anchored off the Yokohama Port in February. (Kyodo News via AP)
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Now, months later, the Diamond Princess is on the move "to finalize crew repatriation efforts and remain until operations begin,” Princess Cruises spokesperson Negin Kamali said.
Looking ahead, the Carnival Corporation subsidiary has extended the suspension of its operations through at the least the end of the summer.
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Princess Cruises President Jan Swartz cited limited flight availability and the closure of popular ports, among other travel restrictions, in making the decision.