David Abel - a diabetic passenger on Diamond Princess cruise ship is struggling to take care of his health
The death toll due to coronavirus has touched nearly 500 in China and thousands of passengers and crew have been placed in quarantine aboard the Diamond Princess, which is part of a global health emergency that seems to be worsening day by day. Gloved and masked officials on Wednesday led the Japanese cruise ship - with nearly 3,711 people aboard, that’s being quarantined amid growing worry about the spread of coronavirus outbreak.
Meanwhile, Britons on the cruise ship have said the situation aboard has changed dramatically and they have been told they cannot leave their cabins. It all began after an 80-year-old passenger from Hong Kong tested positive for coronavirus after sailing on the ship last month, and now, the passengers have been kept at the port city of Yokohama, about 25 miles from Tokyo. Large white sheets covering them head-to-knee, people infected with a new virus were led by gloved and masked officials Wednesday off a Diamond Princess that's being quarantined amid growing worry about the spread of an outbreak.
Diamond Princess cruise ship is ferrying passengers and many of those have been tested positive for coronavirus
One of the many passengers on the Diamond Princess is 74-year-old David Abel, who is on the ship with his wife to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. In a complaint to the authorities, Abel has said he is in need of more insulin which he would need to get from the ship's medic.
Taking to Facebook, Abel said "It's going to be an ordeal, but it'll be manageable. We are staying positive - to grumble about the situation wouldn't be the right thing to do at all. The holiday was fantastic, and the crew are doing the right thing - they're trying to keep everybody safe. We are very lucky not to be in one of the inside cabins. Here, we have a balcony, we can have the door open, we've got the warmth of the sunshine and we've got fresh air."
"We've got friends on board who are really struggling though because they're smokers," Abel said, adding, "the captain announced everyone was banned from smoking in cabins and on balconies, and our friends are tearing their hair out!"
David posted a photo of the bar on cruise ship Diamond Princess which showed an empty house.
He said most of the passengers are Japanese but, along with a few other Britons, there are also Americans, Canadians and other nationalities.
Responding to a media house, David Abel said, "If we are confined to a cabin for 14 days, it will drive us mad. If the virus doesn't get me first, my wife will probably push me overboard after a few days!"
Here's what David Abel wrote on Facebook:
"First meal in 18 hours. Being diabetic and dairy intolerant there is nothing here I can eat. They have since brought me 4 bread rolls & butter. We have now up anchored and on our second cruise in Japanese waters. It is going to be tough on rationed food, and with no alcohol! No services onboard the ship now. How the crew are going to cope with this beats me. This is a huge challenge for Diamond Princess. We are out at sea now converting sea water into drinking water. Ship was running low on water for showers etc. I will give a live video feed later on when UK wakes up in around 3 hours time."
About 3,600 people on another cruise ship were being screened in Hong Kong after three passengers on a previous voyage were diagnosed with the virus. Thousands of hospital workers in Hong Kong were striking to demand the border with mainland China be closed completely. And on the mainland, patients were being treated in newly built or converted hospitals while some at overcrowded facilities sat on the floor.
Hong Kong announced that it will require all people entering the city from the Chinese mainland, including Hong Kong residents, to be quarantined for 14 days.
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