A worker in protective gear is seen on the cruise ship Diamond Princess seen at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan February 19, 2020. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement on Tuesday that the rate of new infections on the ship "represents an ongoing risk."KIM KYUNG-HOON/Reuters
The number of Canadians infected with the coronavirus on board a quarantined cruise ship in Japan continues to grow, raising questions about this week’s mission to repatriate the remaining passengers.
On Tuesday, Global Affairs Canada said 43 Canadians had been infected with the coronavirus, a major jump from Saturday, when only 15 Canadians had tested positive. There are 256 Canadians on board the ship. The rapid spread of the virus suggests more passengers could have been infected by the time the quarantine lifts on Wednesday. Infectious disease experts say it’s clear that problems with the quarantine process allowed the virus to spread on the ship.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement on Tuesday that the rate of new infections on the ship "represents an ongoing risk."
Ottawa has chartered a plane and said it expects to airlift the remaining non-infected passengers from Japan on Thursday. Canadian citizens and permanent residents are eligible for the flight. Non-Canadian immediate family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents will also be allowed on the flight, as long as space permits, according to Global Affairs Canada.
None of the infected passengers will be allowed to board the charter plane back to Canada and anyone who displays symptoms or tests positive before boarding will also be barred, according to Global Affairs Canada.
The federal government said it will provide “full support” to those Canadians who must remain in Japan. But it’s unclear what that will entail. Many people infected with the coronavirus experience mild symptoms and do not need to be hospitalized, meaning they will have to be accommodated somewhere after the cruise ship quarantine ends. It can also take weeks for individuals to test negative after contracting the virus.
Passengers on board the charter flight will be sent to the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton, Ont., where they will be assessed and transported to the Nav Canada Training Institute in Cornwall, Ont., for a two-week quarantine.
Some Canadians may choose not to get on the charter flight, such as those who want to remain with a sick loved one. They will be subject to a 14-day quarantine upon their return to Canada.
The Japanese government decided to quarantine more than 3,700 people on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship on Feb. 4 after a passenger who left the ship at a stop in Hong Kong tested positive for the virus. Since then, the number of infected passengers has continued to climb, reaching 542 as of Tuesday. Infectious disease experts say it appears the conditions on the ship allowed the virus to transmit among passengers.
David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, said strict rules must be followed in order for quarantines to prevent the spread of viruses.
“It only depends on the rigours of how you deal with the staff moving in and out, how good is the room,” Dr. Williams said on Monday. “All those things that seem like small steps, they’re all important.”
He said Canadian officials will be among those looking at what went wrong on the ship in order to prevent anything similar happening in the future.
“It raises questions. If you have a similar situation, would you do the same thing?” Dr. Williams said.