Japan quarantined a cruise ship carrying 3711 people onboard after one of the former passengers tested positive in a novel coronavirus in Hong Kong, reported AFP.
A top government official said around eight people on the vessel manifested symptoms such as fever.
Quarantine officers were already deployed in the ship, which docked at Yokohama Bay, to examine all 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew.
RELATED STORY: Hong Kong reports first coronavirus death
Authorities sought the immediate measure after a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus disembarked in Hong Kong, where he was tested positive for the disease.
The 80-year-old man, however, “did not visit a medical centre inside the ship while he was sailing with us,” cruise operator Carnival Japan said in a statement.
READ ON: Novel coronavirus death toll in China rises to 426
Japan has ramped up their measures to curb the spread of the disease to ensure the health and safety of athletes competing for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Japan’s Health Ministry reported 20 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus as of Monday, February 3, 2020.
