Two Australians from Japan ship have coronavirus

Two of the hundreds of people allowed to leave the Diamond Princess after testing negative for the new coronavirus.
Two of the hundreds of people allowed to leave the Diamond Princess after testing negative for the new coronavirus.

SYDNEY: Two Australians evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship have tested positive for coronavirus, authorities said on Friday, raising questions about Japan's policy of allowing evacuees to return home after testing negative.

Hundreds of people have been allowed to leave the ship after testing negative for the disease and many have returned to their home countries to face further quarantine.

Some 164 Australians aboard the Diamond Princess were cleared for transfer from the ship to quarantine in Australia's remote north earlier this week.

But hundreds of Japanese passengers were cleared and warned only to "stay at home unless absolutely necessary," and to "never use public" transport and use a mask if they do go out.

A total of six Australian evacuees have now been retested and the two -- described as "an older person" and "a younger person" -- tested positive.

Australia's Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy said the public should not be concerned.

"I just want to reassure the community that whilst this is another two cases in Australia, it's a first for some time now. These were expected and we're well-placed to manage them," he said.

Fifteen previous cases of coronavirus had been linked to the outbreak of the disease in China.

Murphy also expressed confidence that Japan and South Korea -- where the number of infections nearly doubled Thursday to 104 -- would be able to contain the disease.

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Vocabulary

  • confidence: being certain of your abilities or of having trust in people, plans, or the future - ความมั่นใจ
  • evacuee: a person who leaves a place of danger - ผู้อพยพ
  • necessary (adj.): essential, needful, something that you must do or have - จำเป็น, ซึ่งเลี่ยงไม่ได้, ซึ่งเป็นที่ต้องการ, สำคัญ
  • negative (adj): showing no signs of being infected by a particular virus, bacteria, etc. - ทางลบ
  • outbreak: the sudden start of a disease - การระบาดของโรค
  • positive (adj): showing clear evidence that a particular substance or medical condition is present มีประจุบวก (การทดสอบ) - มีประจุบวก (การทดสอบ)
  • quarantine (noun): a situation in which a person or animal that might have a disease is kept separate from other people or animals so that they do not catch the disease - การกักบริเวณ, การจำกัดบริเวณ

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