A British honeymooner with coronavirus has been isolated in a hospital room after being taken off a disease-hit cruise liner in Japan.
Alan Steele was on board the cruise liner Diamond Princess when it was quarantined in the port of Yokohama after 61 passengers tested positive for the virus.
He was transferred to the medical facility on Friday. His new wife Wendy was forced to remain on board the ship but has been in regular telephone contact with him.
She posted on Facebook earlier today to give an update about his condition. She said: ‘Alan is well, Japanese doctors are excellent.’
‘He is in a little room. Just Dr and nurse visit him.
‘It was a hard first night without Alan. But hey, we are constantly in touch. Japanese doctors are excellent and he is in safe hands.’
Alan Steele (pictured with his new wife Wendy) was today taken off the Diamond Princess and sent to hospital on the mainland after testing positive for the virus
Mr Steele was one of 41 people who learned they had the virus after 171 remaining test results came back on Friday, trebling the ship’s total of virus patients from 20 to 61.
The newly diagnosed also include 21 Japanese nationals, as well as eight Americans, five Canadians, five Australians and an Argentine.
Thirty-five of the infected people were over 60 years old. They will all be taken to medical institutions in Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa and Shizuoka.
Mrs Marshall Steele said she was beginning to suffer with ‘cabin fever’ as she continued to be confined to her room on the ship – a status shared with nearly 3,700 other passengers and crew.
A total of 78 British passport holders – including crew – were among those who boarded the ship.
The ship’s operator, Princess Cruises, said the vessel’s quarantine was due to end on February 19 providing that there are no ‘unforeseen developments’.
They also confirmed all affected guests were being taken to hospitals.
Alan Steele (pictured right) was separated from his new wife Wendy (pictured left on board the cruise ship) and taken off the Diamond Princess after learning his test results in Yokohama Bay today
The newlyweds, from Wolverhampton, who had only married last month were initially left ‘bereft’ and ‘in ribbons’ when they were separated.
Mrs Marshall Steele took to social media at the time to say that she would not be able to care for him despite being a nurse.
She wrote: ‘They have just taken Alan away. I am in ribbons. He is healthy and not displaying any symptoms.
‘I am bereft… if he ends up being ill I can’t look after him. NOT only as a wife… but as a nurse.
‘Apologies if this sounds over emotional but to have your husband taken away from you. Not sure how long it will be until I see him again.
‘In my working life my colleagues would say ‘balls of steel’ but not today. Counting down the days until I can laugh about stupid things with my husband again.’
Mr Steele had not been showing symptoms of the virus and hoped he may just be a ‘carrier’ – but faced a lengthy quarantine in hospital on the mainland.
He was the second UK national known to have the virus, after a businessman who had recently flown back from Singapore tested positive in Brighton yesterday.
A team of health workers in hazmat suits on the shore in Yokohama today where Japanese authorities said the tally of coronavirus patients on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship had risen to 61
Health workers wearing protective suits carry bags to an ambulance near the cruise ship Diamond Princess today, which is anchored and being held in quarantine near Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama
Health workers in protective gear were still working in Yokohama Bay as darkness fell on Friday with the Diamond Princess in quarantine
A worker in a hazmat suit drives a fork lift truck to load supplies on to the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama today
Masked passengers are seen on the deck of the ship today, where passengers in windowless inside cabins have been allowed only onto open decks briefly under strict conditions
A woman holds a Japanese flag that reads ‘shortage of medicine’ on the cruise ship Diamond Princess as another 41 people tested positive for the deadly coronavirus on Friday
An official in a protective suit walks near the cruise ship Diamond Princess anchored at Yokohama Port today
Japan Self-Defence Forces officers use canvas sheets to cover the walkway from the cruise ship Diamond Princess on Friday as another 41 people tested positive for the deadly flu-like virus after 20 were rushed off to hospitals on the mainland earlier this week
The Diamond Princess cruise ship, with over 3,700 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new coronavirus, is seen anchored at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama port
The jump in the number of virus cases on board the ship has added to concerns among the ship’s 2,600 passengers that they are being kept in the dark about the crisis.
One American passenger told a journalist she was ‘scared… I don’t want to leave this ship in a box.’
Others have voiced fears about dwindling medical supplies, including a Japanese passenger who held up a sign from her balcony declaring a ‘shortage of medicine’ in Yokohama Bay today.
Japan ordered the ship into quarantine after an 80-year-old former passenger who left the vessel in Hong Kong last month was found to have the virus, which has killed more than 630 people.
All 3,711 people on board were screened for the virus, and 273 of them were selected for further tests because they were either showing symptoms, had disembarked in Hong Kong or been in contact with the 80-year-old.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Japanese authorities announced that the first batch of 102 test results had produced 20 positive results.
Health minister Katsunobu Kato told reporters today that the remaining 171 test results had shown 41 cases of coronavirus, taking the total to 61 out of 273 who were tested.
‘Today they will be sent to hospitals in several prefectures, and we are now preparing for that,’ the health minister said.
The passengers were due to be taken to medical facilities in Tokyo and nearby Saitama Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures as well as Shizuoka prefecture in central Japan.
Mr Steele later revealed himself on Facebook as one of the virus patients, saying: ‘Just to let you all know I have been diagnosed as having the virus and am being shipped to hospital.
‘Would also like to say that at the moment I am not showing any symptoms so just possible a carrier. Will let you know how I am going on when possible.’
A neighbour, 72-year-old Veronica Richards, said today that Mrs Steele was a care home worker and mother-of-one who had married Mr Steele after divorcing her previous husband.
‘This will give her something to talk about,’ she said
‘I knew she was on her honeymoon and was expecting her back any time now. She is a lovely woman and she always has a bit of drama in her life.
‘I’ve not met him [Alan] properly and I hope he’s got over it when I do. I don’t need that Coronavirus, I’ve got enough on my plate with my hip.’
The 20 people who were earlier diagnosed with the virus have already been removed from the vessel by health workers in protective hazmat suits and taken to hospitals on the mainland.
One of them is in a serious condition, a health ministry official said, without providing further details.
The tests for coronavirus could now be expanded to further passengers who are ‘susceptible to illness, including elderly people and those with other ailments,’ the health minister said.
In addition, passengers who had close contact with the 61 virus patients could also be subject to further testing to contain the spread of the virus.
A Japanese foreign ministry official said today that the quarantine would end on February 19, more than two weeks after the vessel arrived in Japan.
The official also rejected fears that the virus could be spread through the ship’s ventilation system.
Tour operator Princess Cruises confirmed the February 19 end date, barring ‘unforeseen developments’.
Medical staff clad in protective gear prepare to provide care for suspected coronavirus patients on board the cruise ship
Passengers stand on their balconies aboard the ship today, some of them wearing face masks and warm coats
Medical staff in hazmat suits walk past ambulances on the dock in Yokohama where they are assisting the Diamond Princess
Officials in protective suits drive an ambulance near the cruise ship today after another 41 coronavirus cases were confirmed
Passengers aboard the quarantined vessel look out from their balconies today, waving to the media at the Yokohama port
A passenger waves next to another wearing a face mask from the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where 10 more people were tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, as it is anchored at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan on Friday
A Japan Self-Defences Forces officer wearing a face mask is seen next to the cruise ship Diamond Princess as the ship was prepared for resupply
Today health workers were working on the shore dressed in white hazmat suits, complete with face masks and helmets.
An extendable white-tented passageway was wheeled to a door on the side of the massive cruise ship, apparently to protect the identity of people being evacuated from the boat.
As the ship docked, passengers who have been told they will have to stay aboard days even if they test negative for the virus came out on to their balconies, some waving to assembled media or taking pictures.
People on board have described confusion and boredom after being confined to their cabins and banned from even walking down the corridors following the decision by Japanese authorities to quarantine the vessel.
Passengers in windowless inside cabins have been allowed only onto open decks briefly, under strict conditions, including wearing a mask at all times.
‘The quarantine officials require that you avoid congregating in large groups and maintain a separation of at least one metre from each other when talking,’ the ship’s captain said in an announcement on Friday morning.
‘We require that you wear as a minimum, warm clothing, hat and a scarf if possible,’ he added.
Experts say that cruise ships are particularly vulnerable because of the large number of passengers, many of them older people, in a confined space.
The ship has spent much of its time anchored in Yokohama Bay, where fork lift drivers in hazmat suits have helped to load supplies on to the vessel.
It has also returned to the open sea to collect seawater, which can be converted for use in showers and drinking water.
This morning, Briton David Abel who is with wife Sally, said: ‘My major concern now is to let the captain and the crew know, that we want to be informed of what is going on. We don’t want second hand news, we don’t want rumours, we want to know precisely what is going on’
A man wearing protective gear is seen at the port where cruise ship Diamond Princess as preparations were made for further supplies to be delivered this morning
Olivia Capodicasa (pictured) was on the final night of her cruise with her grandmother when the ship was locked down
British passenger David Abel, who is travelling with his wife Sally, today voiced anger that passengers were finding out news from the media and told the captain: ‘We don’t want second hand news, we want to know precisely what is going on.’
He said today: ‘We haven’t had our temperatures taken we haven’t been asked any more questions … that has not happened for days so how are the medical people able to monitor the health situation of 3,600 passengers on board. So this is what needs to be answered.’
He also raised concerns that, along with the dozens of other Britons on board, he might be quarantined yet again when they arrive.
The UK government put 93 people in quarantine in the Wirral after flying them back from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak.
‘It would really be good if the Home Office would put something on the news.’ Mr Abel added. ‘It would certainly put the minds of the Brits on board at ease.’
There are 78 people with British passports on board the vessel, including crew members, but there are no plans to fly anyone back to the UK at present.
The coronavirus epidemic has so far claimed 630 lives and infected more than 28,000 people in 28 countries and territories around the world – but 99 per cent of infections have been in China
For breakfast, quarantined cruisers yesterday were served a measly fruit salad, pastries (both sweet and savoury), a Fru Fru yoghurt and a glass of apple juice
Health workers in protective suits put up hoardings on Wednesday as passengers who were diagnosed with the virus are moved
Officers in protective gear carry luggage cases after people who were transferred from cruise ship Diamond Princess on Wednesday when the first 10 people were taken off, another 10 were confirmed to have the virus on Thursday, and another 41 on Friday
American attorney Matt Smith, 57, and his wife Katherine have a suite with their own balcony but said the quarantine was a ‘hard pill to swallow’.
‘My thought is, the greater number they diagnose on the ship, the greater chance they’re going to find some reason to extend the quarantine,’ he said.
Also among those stranded on board are 233 Australians, including Olivia Capodicasa, from Melbourne, who was on the final night of her cruise with her grandmother when the ship was locked down.
She described the conditions as being like ‘hell’ and said she had been watching movies to pass the time.
‘It has been a hell of a 24 hours stuck in here’, she told Sunrise on Thursday morning. ‘I think it is really starting to hit me now that this is the reality and I’m not going home anytime soon’.
Passengers were finding out about the new infections from the internet before they were announced on the ship, said a 43-year-old Hong Kong resident who is on the ship with his family.
A separate cruise ship, the World Dream, is being held in quarantine in Hong Kong after eight former passengers tested positive for the virus.
The ship’s 3,600 passengers are facing a third night stranded, but conditions are less stringent and there are not yet any confirmed virus cases on board.
In addition, more than 2,000 people are marooned on board the MS Westerdam after Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Guam all refused entry.
Japanese leader Shinzo Abe yesterday said his country would not allow foreign passengers to disembark, saying there were suspected virus patients on board.
However, cruise operator Holland America said last night that ‘the ship is not in quarantine and there are no known cases of coronavirus on board’.
An ambulance and Japan Coast Guard members in protective outfit prepare for the arrival of infected passengers that were onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, at Yokohama port on Wednesday when another ten were rushed off to hospitals on the Japanese mainland
Despite some of the ship’s 3,700 passengers complaining of ‘prison’ like quarantine conditions they were seen gallivanting on the colossal ship’s galleries on Thursday within arms reach of their neighbours
Japan has now confirmed 25 cases of the new coronavirus – excluding the cruise ship infections – among them citizens returning from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of the outbreak.
Tokyo has evacuated more than 500 Japanese citizens from Wuhan, and attracted some criticism for its relatively loose quarantine approach.
There have been several incidences of apparent person-to-person transmission in Japan, including a tour guide and bus driver who contracted the virus after coming into contact with visitors from Wuhan.
Neither had visited China in recent months.
The coronavirus epidemic has so far claimed more than 630 lives and infected more than 28,000 people in 28 countries and territories around the world, although but 99 per cent of infections have been in mainland China.
The outbreak has prompted the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency, several governments to impose travel restrictions, and airlines to suspend flights to and from China.
Researchers suspect the virus emerged from a Wuhan market selling exotic animals at the end of last year.
Elderly man from Hong Kong might have brought coronavirus on board the Diamond Princess in Japan
The Diamond Princess cruise ship was put on lockdown after an 80-year-old passenger who spent five days on the ocean liner tested positive for coronavirus – sparking fears that he brought the virus on board.
He boarded the vessel in Yokohama on January 20 after flying out to Japan and took part in a bus trip in Kagoshima, Japan, two days later.
The elderly passenger then sailed to Hong Kong where he left on January 25.
A map showing the journey of the Diamond Princess since January 20. At (1) in Yokohama an 80-year-old passenger boarded the ship. Two days later at (2) in Kagoshima he joined in a bus ride excursion with fellow passengers. He left in Hong Kong (3) before the ship continued to Vietnam (4 and 5) before stopping in Taiwan (6) on January 31. It is unclear how many passengers left the ship there. The cruise liner then sailed to Okinawa (7) before returning to Yokohama (1) where it was quarantined
In his five days on the cruise liner he did not report any problems to the ship’s on-board medics, but six days after leaving he went to hospital in Hong Kong.
On February 1 he tested positive for coronavirus, prompting Japanese authorities to deny entry to the ship and screen more than 3,700 people for the virus when the vessel returned to Yokohama on February 3.
It remains unclear whether he was the cruise ship’s ‘patient zero’ who transmitted the virus to other passengers.
But guests, who were in contact with him, were among the 273 selected for testing and 61 tested positive.
A team of health workers in hazmat suits on the shore in Yokohama today where Japanese authorities said the tally of coronavirus patients on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship had risen to 61
Of the 36 passengers in contact with the Japanese media, the first ten have tested positive.
Princess Cruises said none of his relatives travelling with him showed symptoms of the virus.
It is also thought that the virus could have been brought on board from somewhere else as an American couple, Clyde and Renee Smith, said they had been on a bus trip with the man in Kagoshima and both tested negative.
‘While on the ship he did not visit the ship’s medical centre to report any symptoms or illness,’ the cruise operator told passengers earlier this week.
Health workers wearing protective suits carry bags to an ambulance near the cruise ship Diamond Princess today, which is anchored and being held in quarantine near Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama
After he left the ship, it sailed to Vietnam and then to Taiwan on January 31 where 16 cases of the new coronavirus have been confirmed.
It was unclear how many left the vessel at the port of Keelung, sparking an alternative theory that the virus could have been transmitted there, according to Taiwanese media.
At the port of Yokohama, Japanese authorities immediately quarantined the ship while the 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew members were screened for the virus.
Sixty-one people found to have been infected with the virus have been moved to hospitals on the Japanese mainland to be kept in quarantine.
Remaining passengers face nearly two more weeks in lockdown, with the quarantine set to continue until February 19.
The ship, which has been anchored in Yokohama Bay, is particularly vulnerable because of the large number of older passengers in a confined space, say experts.