Israelis on board quarantined cruise ship call on gov’t to do more to help them

A group of Israelis on board a quarantined cruise ship off the Japanese coast are calling on the Israeli government to do more to help them make their way back home.

Speaking to Israeli media outlets via video message, a number of the Israeli passengers on board the ship say Israel has not done enough to help them.

“We have not heard anything from the Foreign Ministry,” one passenger tells Israel’s Channel 10 news. “We just want to come home.”

Another Israeli passenger, speaking to Channel 12 news, says Israel must help them get back home “without being stuck in quarantine in multiple countries around the world.”

The Diamond Princess has been in quarantine since arriving off the Japanese coast early last week after the virus was detected in a former passenger who got off the ship last month in Hong Kong. When the boat arrived off Japan’s coast, authorities initially tested nearly 300 people for the virus of the 3,711 on board, gradually evacuating dozens who were infected to local medical facilities.

Japanese media reported yesterday that around 60 more people aboard the Diamond Princess have been diagnosed with coronavirus, raising the number of infected passengers and crew to around 130.

Eight to 14 Israelis are believed to be on the vessel. At least one is suspected of having contracted the virus.