No Pinoys in New nCoV Cases in Japanese Cruise Ship

No Filipino was among the 10 new cases of 2019-novel coronavirus inside a quarantined cruise ship off the Yokohama Port in Japan, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed Thursday.

“As of 11 a.m. on 6 February 2020, another group of 10 people on board the Diamond Princess tested positive for nCoV. Aside from the first reported case yesterday, no other Filipinos onboard have tested positive for the virus at this time,” the DFA statement read.

DFA assured that the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo is working closely with the Japanese authorities to provide all necessary assistance to the Filipinos currently being quarantined inside the MV Diamond Princess.

The assistance includes the provision of food, medicine, masks, and other supplies. In addition, the Embassy also established an assistance-to-nationals hotline phone number and email for Filipinos on the ship.

The cruise ship, where more than 500 Filipino nationals are on board, is currently docked at Yokohama Harbor under a 14-day quarantine period.

On Wednesday, 10 persons onboard the cruise ship, including one Filipino, have initially tested positive for the virus. (PNA)