Tokyo: Two more Indians on board a quarantined cruise ship off Japan have tested positive for the novel coronavirus even as India assured that it will provide all possible assistance to its nationals on the ship to return home after they test negative.
A total of 138 Indians, including 132 crew and 6 passengers, were among the 3,711 people on board the ship, Diamond Princess, which arrived in Japan earlier this month. The total number of people infected with COVID-19 on the ship rose to 355 on Sunday. Over the last 2 days, 137 new cases have tested positive.
The embassy said it was making efforts for early de-boarding of all the Indians from the ship after the end of the quarantine period and was in discussions with the Japanese government and the ship management company for the disembarkation modalities.
The ship was quarantined after a passenger who de-boarded last month in Hong Kong was found to be the carrier of the virus.
The embassy has also sent an email to all Indian nationals on board the ship, assuring them of all help and assistance.
The Japanese government on Thursday announced that passengers aged 80 or older will be given the option to disembark if they test negative. No Indian, however, falls in this category.
