Japan When applying for a job on the Diamond Princess yacht three years ago, an Indian chef thought this was his dream job.

Now the chef, along with other members of the crew of the Diamond Princess yacht, fear they may be infected with the new strain of corona virus (Covid-19) while serving nearly 2,700 passengers in quarantine at the port. Yokohama, Japan. The Japanese Ministry of Health this morning said 39 new people had been found positive for the virus, bringing the number of cases aboard to 174.

There were 10 employees on board who were confirmed to have Covid-19, some others were ill, but unlike passengers, they were not isolated from each other.

"Why don't they quarantine us? Aren't we part of the ship?" Said the Indian cook, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "If the passengers are in quarantine, why haven't we?".

The chef is one of 1,035 members of the Diamond Princess's crew. He said his day started at 6:15 and he constantly cooks for the passengers, who mostly quarantine themselves in their cabins. In contrast, the crew eat meals, share dishes and toilets.

"Five waiters had positive results for the virus, how can we not get infected?", He said.

According to the Japanese Ministry of Health, of the 10 crew members infected with the virus, two were Ukrainians and eight Filipinos. The Ukrainian government said its two citizens, including a 37-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man, worked in Diamond Princess's kitchen department and were transferred to a hospital in Japan.

The chef said that 2-3 Indians are also sick but it is not clear whether they have Covid-19. He has worked for this company for 3 years, having been to Alaska, USA and Canada. "It was my dream job, but now it has turned into a nightmare," he said.

News of the increasing number of infected people on the yacht has led Binay Kumar Sarkar, another Indian sailor, to post a video on Facebook asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the United Nations for help.

"People are very afraid of who will be next," Sarkar said, suggesting to test the entire crew as soon as possible and take the sick to the hospital.

The passengers and crew of another Hong Kong yacht were allowed to disembark on 9 February after 4 days of isolation. Hong Kong authorities examined all 1,800 crew members and found no one infected with Covid-19. The Japanese government says it is capable of testing at least 1,000 people a day but it will be "difficult" to test all people on Diamond Princess.

Another Indian chef aboard the Diamond Princess shares the same anxiety with her colleagues.

"This is my first job, but that happened to me," he said. "I'm stuck here and don't know if I'm still alive to return home."

He said he had not been tested yet, but was afraid that more people would fall ill. "I'm so scared. I don't know what will happen tomorrow. I want to go home."

The Diamond Princess yacht representative did not comment on the conditions of the crew, but the Japanese government said it was working hard to improve their situation.

"We understand their concerns and have heard calls to improve their conditions. We are considering measures to address that issue," said Masami Sakoi, a senior ministry official. Japanese health, said.

Mr Sakoi said the government needed the crew to maintain operations on the 14-day quarantine ship and will send a team of experts to assess their living and working conditions today. "After they have finished evaluating, we will work with the yacht operator to resolve this issue as much as possible," he said.

The order for passengers is expected to end on February 19, but it is unclear whether crew members will be required to be further quarantined because they cannot be separated from those infected with the virus.

In a promotional video for Diamond Princess entitled "One Day of the Crew Members", they praised the company, the opportunity and the eagerness to work, but did not reflect the difficulties of life on board. .

"The work on the train is not easy," said Norman Lee, a kitchen worker. "You need to focus. You need to be optimistic to be able to do your job."

A restaurant employee named Olena Ruban encourages colleagues to enjoy life on the train, and warned: "Strengthen, because here, only the strong will survive."

However, the Indian chef said that the conditions on the train were very bad. Some employees had their contracts expired last week but still had to work until February 19. "Who will survive until then?", He said. "I was so scared and counting down to that day".

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