Some Diamond Princess Guests Able to Spend Quarantine Ashore

Certain guests on Princess Cruises’ Diamond Princess will be able to disembark the ship and spend the remainder of their quarantine in a shoreside housing facility. The ship has been docked in Yokohama, Japan, under a quarantine for the coronavirus that is scheduled to last through February 19. 

According to the latest update from the cruise line, Japanese health officials will carry out the voluntary disembarkation in a phased approach, with the most medically vulnerable guests going first, including older adults with preexisting health conditions. Guests in the first group will be tested for the coronavirus; if positive, they will be transported to a local hospital for further evaluation and isolation. If negative, they will be given the option to leave the ship and be transported to a quarantine housing facility. 

Princess said that the shoreside housing includes individual rooms and individual bathrooms, but no clinics: guests will be able to receive prescription medication, but medical care will require transport to a hospital or clinic. Food will be Japanese-style bento boxes, with no Western meals available. The food will not accommodate dietary preferences, but it will accommodate certain medical conditions. 

All guests are also welcome to remain onboard during the quarantine period. 

Additionally, in its latest update Princess confirmed that there have been 44 new positive cases of the virus onboard the ship. The cruise line has been working to provide quarantined guests onboard the ship with complimentary Internet and phone access, as well as additional entertainment options. 

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