WEDNESDAY, Feb. 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) — As the number of coronavirus cases reached 75,000 and deaths topped 2,000, a two-week quarantine of a cruise ship docked in Japan ended Wednesday.
About 300 Americans were recently evacuated from the Diamond Princess over the weekend and are already under quarantine in the United States. Fourteen of those evacuees have tested positive for the new COVID-19 virus. More than 100 American passengers still remain in Japan, however, and U.S. health officials announced Tuesday that they will not be allowed to return home for at least two more weeks.
According to a statement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, containment measures that were taken on the ship “may not have been sufficient to prevent transmission. CDC believes the rate of new infections on board, especially among those without symptoms, represents an ongoing risk.”
Passengers who stayed on the ship will not be allowed to return to the United States until they have been off the ship for 14 days without any symptoms or a positive test for the virus, the agency added. The ruling also applies to Americans who are hospitalized in Japan.
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