John and Carol Montgomery rejoice when the captain announces that some may leave Diamond Princess, but their hopes soon disappear.

The hopes of the American couple were lit after Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato yesterday said certain passengers on Diamond Princess, the yacht being isolated at Yokohama port, Kanagawa province, could ashore.

The yacht, with more than 3,700 passengers and crew members, has been quarantined at the port since Feb. 4, after an 80-year-old passenger from Hong Kong last month tested positive for nCoV.

The couple, John and Carol Montgomery, thought they were eligible to go ashore, because they had been in a cabin without windows and a balcony for the past 10 days, while Mr. Montgomery, 68, had diabetes. However, their hopes faded when Captain Diamond Princess later set forth stricter criteria than Minister Kato's vague announcement.

Accordingly, only passengers over the age of 80 who have background disease or live in a closed cabin are allowed to leave the ship. "It looks like we won't be going anywhere," said Montgomery, 67.

Commentator Motoko Rich of NY Times said the expectation and inadequacy of passengers on Diamond Princess yacht reflected the handling of the clumsy coronary pneumonia (Covid-19) of Japan.

Since the yacht has been quarantined, new cases of nCoV on board have increased almost daily. There are now 218 cases of 3,711 people aboard, making it the second largest outbreak in the world, behind only China.

Countries with nCoV pneumonia patients. Click on image to see details.

Japan also became the third country in the world after China and the Philippines where nCoV-infected people died, following the death of an 80-year-old lady in Kanagawa Prefecture yesterday. Minister Kato said the link between nCoV and her death is unclear, but a positive virus test result was confirmed after her death. She also appears to have symptoms, though she has never been to China.

While Japanese officials are considering the possibility of prolonging the quarantine order for the Diamond Princess, scheduled to end on February 19, many experts expressed concern that thousands of people living in cramped space on board could spread disease to each other.

Dr. Peter Katona, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, USA, said that the enclosed space on the ship was a favorable environment for the virus to spread, although scientists still do not know much about the method of spreading nCoV. .

The fact that Japan's Ministry of Health allows some people to leave Diamond Princess is said to act to ease the tense atmosphere on board. According to Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs documents for embassies, the government is discussing a plan to test nCoV for some on board, to determine the possibility of allowing more people to leave the yacht. cups on the mainland. Many passengers call for tests for all, but Tokyo says this is impractical.

The tensions of the people on board were worsening at the news of an increasing number of cases and some in serious condition. "I did my best to keep everyone calm, but now things are getting a lot harder. Staying on the train seems to put us in danger every day," said Sarah Arana, paramedics. American International, said in a message sent from the yacht.

Some epidemiologists believe that most of the positive cases for nCoV were infected by the virus before the Diamond Princess isolation order was imposed on February 4. Diseased Hong Kong passengers leave the ship on January 25. For more than a week since then, passengers have been using a buffet, sitting close to each other in theater performances and playing mahjong.

"This is a natural phenomenon in epidemiology," said Dr. Allen Cheng, an expert at Monash University, Australia. "The first person infected may have infected many others. Secondary cases have led to cases at the next level. What we are seeing now is the incubation of those third-level people."

With the crew members eating and living close to each other, the longer people stay on board, the greater the risk of new infections increases, Rich commentator said. The danger is manifested by a Japanese Ministry of Health official infected with nCoV after conducting a symptom assessment of passengers and crew. This person wore a mask and gloves, but did not wear protective clothing.

"It is possible that the infections have spread, despite the fact that passengers are isolated on board. It is better for them to go ashore, because we do not know the cause of infection at this stage," Mitsuyoshi Urashima. , a professor of epidemiology at Jikei University Hospital, Japan, comments.

Passengers themselves are also concerned about the risk that those who are likely to be exposed to the cases will be isolated longer. "The logic and the rationale for quarantine is that if people don't have a fever, there is no sign of being sick after 14 days which means no virus infection. to someone who is infected just before the isolation order ends, "Mr. Montgomery said.

The passenger added that when he and his wife went out to breathe fresh air as prescribed on February 12, they came across another passenger who was coughing in the corridor. "So the whole situation now is based on a false logic," he said.

At a meeting earlier this week, Masami Sakoi, a health ministry official, said people exposed to nCoV-infected passengers could have to restart the two-week isolation process. Many, including Montgomery, have asked governments to have passengers or crew members on Diamond Princess to allow citizens to quarantine on-shore facilities.

"I think it would be more effective if the US embassy took us ashore and moved out of there, then isolated and tested us," she said.

However, finding a quarantine facility capable of accommodating such a large number of people, as well as ensuring safety and proper medical care, will be a major challenge, especially as Japan emerges. new. On February 13, the country's Ministry of Health announced three new cases of nCoV infection, including a taxi driver and a doctor.

Despite rising tensions, some passengers still try to take advantage of the time stuck on the train. Aun Na Tan, an Australian citizen sharing a windowless cabin with her husband and two children, said the whole family played cards and watched movies in their free time.

In a confined space, the 43-year-old said her daughter always bumped into her mother's lap while lying in bed. "I'm just enjoying it, because such opportunities are getting less and less as my children grow up," Tan said. Even those who qualify to land still want to stay on board.

"Fortunately, we are in a slightly larger room, so it feels good," said Masako Ishida, a 61-year-old woman traveling with her mother and stepfather, who are all in their 80s. "We don't mind at all even in the event of a final departure. Everything will be easier if we are here until February 19 and relax."