XPost: talk.politics.misc, rec.travel, rec.travel.cruises
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This is starting to sound like a Twilight Zone episode... -----------------------------------------------------------
Quarantined Cruise Ship Passengers Stuck on Journey
From Hell Thanks to Coronavirus Outbreak

by Barbie Latza Nadeau
Feb. 06, 2020 3:42AM ET

A dream vacation has turned into an epic nightmare for more than 425
American cruise passengers who are among 5,300 travelers now quarantined on cruises off Japan.

Susan Anabel, a 67-year-old woman from Marysville, Washington, was looking
for an adventure when she booked a single, windowless stateroom on Carnival’s Diamond Princess cruise ship. She was scheduled to return to Seattle from
Tokyo after her relaxing two-week cruise ended this week. But now she is one
of 428 Americans stuck in a living-hell-limbo that has trapped more than
5,000 people on two massive cruise ships after several passengers tested positive for the deadly coronavirus.

“I signed up for an adventure, and I’m getting an adventure,” she told KIRO
7 news channel via a FaceTime chat in which she explained that the crew told them they cannot even open their door unless someone brings them food. “I don’t have a window and I don’t have a balcony, so it could get a little tight in here.”

After one passenger tested positive for the virus, it took 18 hours to take
the temperature of the remaining passengers and crew. Princess Cruise Lines confirmed that 10 people—one American, two Australians, three Japanese,
three Hong Kong citizens and one Filipino crew member—were diagnosed with
the virus and taken off the ship. By Thursday morning, a further ten people
had been confirmed to have the virus and 171 passengers were awaiting test results, adding more uncertainty to the length of the quarantine.

But the rest are now under quarantine for at least two weeks. Anabel was not sure whether they would eventually be allowed to leave their rooms, and with
no window, she can’t even tell what is happening outside.

At the end of the interview, the captain could be heard telling passengers
that the ship was running low on water, so they were asked to only flush if necessary.

“I guess they don’t want us near land,” Anabel said, explaining she was getting some information via messages from people with windows in their
rooms. “They have a Japanese coast guard circling our ship.”

The passengers and crew aren’t even 24 hours into the saga, but many are already posting desperate messages on social media. One creative passenger
has started a Twitter account with the handle @quarantinedondiamondprincess through which they are posting a rather uneventful online diary including pictures of the food that is brought to their room and recordings of the captain’s announcements.

The coronavirus has affected more than 20,000 people in mainland China and nearly 200 people across 25 countries. The death toll has risen to 492
people, with all but two in mainland China.

https://tinyurl.com/u6y2mb6

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