A total of 34 crew members aboard an Italian cruise ship docked in south-western Japan have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, local authorities said on Wednesday, according to dpa. The Nagasaki prefectural government found 33 crew members on The Costa Atlantica were infected with the coronavirus after one person had already tested positive on Monday, officials said. All of the 34 crew members did not have severe symptoms, local officials said. Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that Health Ministry officials and experts had been already been dispatched to Nagasaki. "We will take appropriate measures to prevent the transmission of the virus while coordinating with those concerned such as the Nagasaki prefectural government," Suga said. The ship carrying 623 crew members and no passengers arrived in the city of Nagasaki in late January to undergo repairs. The ship initially planned to head to China for repairs. But the coronavirus outbreak in the country led Japan's Mitsubishi Shipbuilding to undertake the work in Nagasaki. In February, experts criticized Japan's handling of quarantine on the virus-hit Princess Diamond cruise ship docked in the port of Yokohama. Of the about 3,700 passengers and crew members on the ship, 712 people tested positive for the coronavirus.
