The Diamond Princess cruise ship (back) is seen docked at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, Japan, on Feb 20, 2020. (KAZUHIRO NOGI / AFP)
HONG KONG - One more Hong Kong resident stranded on cruise ship Diamond Princess quarantined in Japan was found to be infected by COVID-19 caused by a novel coronavirus, taking the tally of infected cruise guests from the city to 66, Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu said on Friday morning.
The new case takes the number of infected passengers stranded on the Diamond Princess from Hong Kong to 66
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Forty-one Hong Kong people on board the cruise ship who have had close contacts with confirmed patients would take a chartered flight home once they test negative for the virus, Lee told reporters. The Department of Health and the Immigration Department are working on a plan to evacuate them, Lee said.
Meanwhile, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said the Hong Kong government had already requested Japanese authorities to make alternative arrangement for those who still remained isolated on the ship, saying the vessel was not an appropriate quarantine facility.
READ MORE: HK residents on cruise ship going home
According to latest information, 150 Hong Kong residents remain on the cruise ship.
