Japanese health officials are conducting extensive medical checks on all 3,700 passengers and crew of a cruise ship that returned to the country after 10 passengers tested positive for the new coronavirus.
Japanese officials said the 10 are among 273 people tested after one man who got off the ship in Hong Kong was confirmed to have the fast-spreading virus that emerged in China last December. Some tests are still pending.
The U.S.-operated Diamond Princess returned to a port in Yokohama, near Tokyo, late Monday, ending a 14-day tour during which it stopped at Hong Kong and several other Asian ports before returning to Japan.
The ship's captain said Monday night that Hong Kong's health authorities notified the ship about the passenger's infection on Saturday, according to a recording of the announcement tweeted by a passenger. According to the announcement, the patient is recovering.
Passengers on the ship will be quarantined on board for up to 14 days under Japanese law.
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