Coronavirus tally rises to 91 on Costa Atlantica ship in Japan

As many as 91 crew of an Italian cruise ship docked in Japan’s southwestern port of Nagasaki are infected with coronavirus, officials said on Friday, as questions persist over how and when they will return to their home countries.

The vessel, the, was taken into a shipyard in Nagasaki in late February by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries after the pandemic scuttled plans for scheduled repairs in China.

The ship has been in quarantine, and Nagasaki authorities have asked that all crew stay aboard unless they require hospital visits.

Authorities are racing to complete tests on about 290 of the 623 crew after one of them was found infected this week. The high rate of infections has fanned concern about the potential strain on medical services if patients’ conditions worsen.

Those who have tested negative will be repatriated, Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said on Friday, according to Kyodo news agency, a decision welcomed by officials in Nagasaki prefecture.

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