YOKOHAMA, Japan -- Even as infections aboard a cruise ship contaminated by the new coronavirus continued to climb, Japan declared on Wednesday that 443 people had satisfied the terms of a two-week quarantine and let them walk free.Much of the world seemed far from reassured.The United States, Australia
YOKOHAMA, Japan — Even as infections aboard a cruise ship contaminated by the new coronavirus continued to climb, Japan declared on Wednesday that 443 people had satisfied the terms of a two-week quarantine and let them walk free.
But experts expressed alarm over the quarantine protocols. The number of confirmed infections on the ship reached 621 on Wednesday as 79 new cases were announced. It is the largest outbreak of the virus outside the epicenter in China. The U.S. government came to a similar conclusion about the infection control measures when, in an apparent reversal of its early advice to passengers that they should stay isolated in their cabins to minimize the risk of infection, it decided to evacuate hundreds of its citizens on Monday.
Iwata said part of the problem was that Japan’s response had been conducted by public servants who did not necessarily have expertise in infectious disease. The country does not have a government agency that specializes in disease control. He acknowledged, though, that after three health ministry officials who had tended to passengers on the ship tested positive for the virus, “I cannot say that things are being controlled completely.”
Cowie said that after analyzing data on the new coronavirus cases reported by Japan’s health ministry since the quarantine began, he had concluded that people on the ship were contracting the virus during the period of confinement. It was not clear when they had taken the test, however. Some indicated that they had been tested over the weekend, which would mean they had possibly been exposed to infection for another three days.
Masako Ishida, 61, who remained on board on Wednesday as she waited to receive her test results, said she was frustrated by the suggestion that anyone who tested negative should have to remain in quarantine any longer.
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