When the Diamond Princess cruise ship was quarantined in Yokohama, Japanese officials said it was needed to stop the spread of the virus that emerged in China. With 540 cases of the virus on board, scientists say it's clear the quarantine did not work.
FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2020, file photo, a security guard stands near the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, near Tokyo. After 14 days, an extraordinary quarantine of the Diamond Princess cruise ship ends Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020, with thousands of passengers and crew set to disembark over the next several days in the port of Yokohama.
In a possible sign of lax quarantine protocols, three Japanese health officials who helped in the quarantine checks on the ship were also infected. “There could also be another mode of transmission we’re not familiar with,” she said, noting the possibility of environmental spread and the importance of “deep-cleaning” the entire ship to prevent people from touching contaminated surfaces.
Hunter said it was “a huge disappointment” that the quarantine hadn’t curbed the spread of the virus and that it was unfortunate some passengers returning to their home countries would now face a second period of isolation. Dr. Michael Ryan, the chief of emergencies at the World Health Organization, said earlier this month that the agency was working with Japanese officials to help passengers get off the ship as soon as possible.
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