Cruise Ship Quarantined: British Passenger Shares 'Concern' Aboard Diamond Princess in Yokohama

Oxfordshire man David Abel was one of over 2,000 passengers quarantined on board the cruise ship Diamond Princess in Yokohama on Tuesday, February 4, after it was discovered one of the passengers had contracted the coronavirus.

The passenger, a Hong Kong resident, was found to have contracted the virus after he disembarked from the ship in Hong Kong. There were 2,666 guests and 1,045 staff members aboard the ship which was to remain quarantined for 14 days, Princess Cruises said.

Following the first phase of health screenings conducted aboard the vessel, it was confirmed at least 10 people had contracted the virus, including two Australians, three Japanese, three passengers from Hong Kong, and one from the US in addition to one Filipino crew member, a statement from Princess Cruises, said. Those infected were to be taken ashore and transported to local hospitals.

In one of his posts at “11:50 am” local time, on February 5, Abel said he had not eaten since 7 pm the night before.

“I’m a diabetic and I’m insulin dependent. It’s now of a concern. I hope this message gets back to Princess Cruises. The reality for me is if I don’t eat something very soon I will be in a coma.”

Abel, who told Storyful he was from the village of Woodford Halse near Banbury in Oxfordshire, posted a number of Facebook Live videos about his situation on the vessel as well as images (below) showing often busy parts of the ship completely deserted. Credit: David Abel via Storyful