Six thousand people are being kept on a cruise ship in Italy as one passenger shows symptoms of the Wuhan coronavirus, while Russia is shutting its border with China to stem the spread of the outbreak.
The number of cases of the virus that originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan has shot up by 30% in just a day to more than 7,700 on the country’s mainland. Elsewhere, more than 100 people have been infected in 20 countries or territories across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Most concerning, instances of human-to-human transmission have been reported overseas, including in Germany, the first such case in Europe.
A spokesperson for Costa Cruises told CNN that a 54-year-old woman was showing symptoms of the virus, namely a fever.
Italian news agency ANSA and public broadcaster RAI reported that the woman and her husband were from Hong Kong and were being kept separately in solitary confinement in the hospital section of the Costa Smeralda cruiseliner. The couple will be held until they both test negative to the virus.
Images show the ship docked at Civitavecchia port, a coastal town northwest of Rome, after arriving from Palma de Majorca, Spain.
The couple are expected to receive their results Thursday afternoon, ANSA reports. They are said to have arrived in Italy on January 25 at Milan’s Malpensa airport from Macau.
Meanwhile, Russian state media reported Thursday that Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin had signed an order to close Russia’s border with China in the Far East in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.
An order has been signed today, it is in the works. Today we will inform everyone accordingly about the relevant measures to close the border in the Far Eastern region and other measures that have been taken by the government,” Mishustin said, RIA reports.
The number of confirmed cases of the Wuhan coronavirus continues to grow worldwide, as the city at the heart of the outbreak marks a week since it was first placed under lockdown.
All 31 provinces and regions within China have now reported confirmed cases of the virus, including Tibet, which had instituted strict checks on travelers and shutdown tourist sites in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to stop its spread to the region. India confirmed its first case on Thursday of a student who had studied in Wuhan.
The continued rise in the number of infections comes as multiple countries evacuate their citizens from Wuhan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday ordered the People’s Liberation Army to aid in “winning the battle against the novel coronavirus epidemic.” Military medical teams have already been sent to Wuhan and soldiers are also aiding with transporting supplies to the stricken city.
The World Health Organization (WHO) will meet again on Thursday to decide whether to declare the virus a global health emergency, something it has so far refrained from doing, despite widespread criticism.
