Quarantine aboard the Diamond Princess - Day 7

2/10/2020

06:30 Just woke up – got in touch with family/friends. Outside, we see only two ambulances and a van. WFAA interview rescheduled due to breaking news in Dallas – new time will be tomorrow. No new news as of yet.

07:15 A few cars showed up behind the ambulances – nothing too exciting.

07:35 Breakfast is here! Scrambled egg sandwich, a muffin, a pastry, grapes, an orange, yogurt, and two cookies. Cookies for breakfast? I’m in! 😂 “A chocolate chip cookie for breakfast? I am so happy! That’s legit!”- the wife

08:31 6 ambulances w/ some cars are parked outside. No ambulances are pulled up to the boat, so looks like as of now we’re in the clear! More supplies are here now, looks like.

08:54 Found out that a lady in the room right next to us had to be taken off the ship d/t having the virus. She says she’s doing okay.

09:54 A motor coach just pulled up and parked next to the 6 ambulances. Not really sure what the motor coach is here for? Some military vehicles are here as well. About to do a sound check with the mark davis show.

12:30 They just delivered N95 masks, we’re excited to finally be protected! In other news, medications continue to be dispensed, but some people on our Facebook page are taking their medications every other day, some running out of Parkinson’s medication, etc. Rough situation, really hope the logistics are worked out and it’s resolved! There are additional pharmacists onboard now. Here are some masks similar to what was delivered to us.

12:44 Captain announcement: extended break till 1400 for deck time in order to not interrupt lunch. Some complaints have been made about announcements being too frequent, but we actually think this is perfect – the captain read a comment from a guest – he says “Knowing is better than guessing, and not knowing.” They’re working on having fewer announcements by possibly putting the deck times on a paper delivered to our room. I’d like to thank you all for being so supportive of my wife and I!

13:06 Update that many of you have been asking about: the world health organization has clarified that the end date of quarantine is 2/19. For those closely in contact with newly infected people (for example, roommates of a newly infected person), the quarantine is extended to 14 days from the date of last contact with the infected individuals.

13:40 Food came! Salmon, pasta salad, a roll, and some sort of desert (I’m not actually sure what it was). We’re settling down for a movie now while waiting for our outside time that is coming!

14:40 Rumor has it that there are 60 new cases. We haven’t been given any information as of yet, and I can’t find any news on it yet. People are beginning to put on full protection suits – looking like more are likely to be taken off. At this point, we’re kind of just wishing that all passengers would be tested. Again, we have no confirmation as of yet on the new cases.

This is what we see outside.

14:43 more ambulances arriving, sirens on.

14:45 Fire trucks and ambulances have pulled up to the ship where passengers have been offloaded the past few days. PS fire trucks/water rescue are normal in these kinds of operations in japan.

14:51 A news helicopter is on scene with news crews pulled up to the side.

Here’s a picture of what appears to be the Japanese military building a tunnel (presumably for passenger offloading) and an ambulance pulling up for pickup.

15:05 The captain has made an announcement. He recognizes that there is lots of activity on the ground. He is waiting for the Japanese health ministry to send an official communication to the cruise line in order to provide accurate information. Meanwhile, it’s almost our turn to go outside. Honestly, we’re considering skipping our outside time to stay safe, but are pretty desperate to stretch our legs.

15:09 The first ambulance has pulled away, and another is pulling up. Spoke with a neighbor a few balconies across from me – he says he’s not going out on the open decks in fear of getting the virus and extending his quarantine.

15:17 A view of what’s going on now.

15:57 Confirmed by captain: 66 new cases of coronavirus on the Diamond Princess. There were 69 total yesterday, bringing the total to 135 today. This was to be expected this early in the quarantine period, as many of these individuals were exposed prior to the quarantine start.

16:30 Just got inside from our time on the open deck. Here are some inside views.

A hot tub that has been drained.

View of the 15th deck during our walk.

View of the 15th deck during our walk.

Tokyo Bay, Yokohama city, and a large bridge.

The Japanese coast guard.

18:29 Captain announcement. Coronavirus cases reduced from 66 to 65, 5 of which are crew members. Total count reduced from 135 to 134. Interior staterooms will get priority for natural sunlight – balconies time will be reduced, however they will still be able to go out onto the open deck from time to time. The captain stated that he noticed some people on the balcony stretching and getting a workout, then teased and said “I have to say.. the port side did better.” Mail services now in place, and instructions will be delivered to our rooms. He addressed the ventilation system – air is filtered & 100% fresh air is being delivered to our staterooms. No reason to worry about the virus being spread through rooms. He thanked and praised everyone on board for their extraordinary patience and support.

18:36 Dinner is here! My wife got pasta and marinara, I got some sort of shrimp on rice. I repeat – when we get home, we’re never having rice again. 😳 We got some lemon bars too!

19:04 Embassy email – confirms that princess/carnival clean their air through and through, and there is no risk to passengers. They provided this video for all Americans aboard.

21:56 Medication has arrived for us, hopefully meaning that most of the ship has received theirs.

23:30 We’ve finished our radio interviews with Mark Davis & WBAP, and winding down for bed. Tomorrow morning we interview with a news station (WFAA), then set your sea for the day to preform vital marine operations (dumping waste, making water). Thank you all again for the support, and I will update in the morning!

Special shoutout to u/CausticSaint – we got a care package delivered to our room from he and his wife.