As of 11 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 20 (Japan time)
- The Japanese government is ramping up efforts to counter mounting criticism about its emergency response to the new coronavirus outbreak, especially its handling of the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
- An additional 13 people on the cruise ship in their 20s to their 70s tested positive for the virus, the health ministry said Thursday.
- Excerpt: Q&A from professor Kentaro Iwata's press conference on coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship.
- The Nagoya Women's Marathon will exclude all but elite competitors at the March 8 event amid concerns over the current coronavirus outbreak, organizers announced Thursday.
- South Korea on Thursday reported its first death from infection with a new coronavirus as the number of infection cases in the country more than doubled to 104.
- Two elderly Japanese passengers from the Diamond Princess, a coronavirus-hit cruise ship docked in Yokohama, have died, the health ministry said Thursday.
- A Japanese infectious diseases expert on Thursday removed his videos criticizing the situation on the Diamond Princess, a coronavirus-hit cruise ship docked in Yokohama, from YouTube.
- China's health authorities have admitted that people may contract the pneumonia-causing COVID-19 coronavirus by inhaling small virus-containing particles floating in the air, or so-called aerosol infection.
- The Japan Para Sports Association has postponed the 2020 Japan Para Championships Boccia, originally scheduled to begin on Feb. 28 and which doubles as a test event for the Tokyo Paralympics, in order to protect athletes from the new coronavirus.
As of 11 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 19 (Japan time)
- More than 400 passengers on the coronavirus-hit cruise ship Diamond Princess disembarked Wednesday in Yokohama after a two-week quarantine period.
- A large portion of the hundreds of coronavirus infections on the Diamond Princess cruise ship occurred before Japan asked all passengers and crew to stay inside their cabins for a two-week quarantine, a research institute said Wednesday.
- Kentaro Iwata, a professor of infectious diseases at Kobe University Hospital, who inspected the situation on board on Feb. 18, criticized the circumstances on the Diamond Princess through videos on YouTube.
- The number of coronavirus cases confirmed on the cruise ship Diamond Princess increased day by day, with 79 more testing positive Wednesday and pushing up the total to 621.
- The first of two planes chartered by Hong Kong's government arrived at Tokyo's Haneda airport Wednesday to begin evacuating Hong Kong passengers stranded on a virus-stricken cruise ship docked in Yokohama.
- Cambodia's Health Ministry said Wednesday that 781 passengers and crew who remain in Cambodia after disembarking from the Westerdam cruise ship since last Friday tested negative for the new coronavirus.
- A "superspreader" is suspected of giving the new coronavirus to 15 other people in South Korea as health authorities reported 20 new infection cases on Wednesday to bring the nation's total to 51.
- The LPGA of Japan Tour will hold its season-opening golf tournament as scheduled in March but without fans due to the current coronavirus outbreak, the tour said Wednesday.
- The death toll in the new pneumonia-causing coronavirus outbreak has exceeded 2,000 in China.
- Hong Kong recorded its second coronavirus-related death, making it the sixth fatality reported outside mainland China.
Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan:
- Japan National Tourism Organization's "Guide for when you are feeling ill"
- Multilingual clinic/hospital search available in English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese
https://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/mi_guide.html - JNTO's "Japan Visitor Hotline"
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese 24 hours a day
050-3816-2787
+81-50-3816-2787 (from overseas)
http://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/content/001328767.pdf - Japan's health ministry hotline
- Available in Japanese only, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
0120-565653 - World Health Organization's "Q&A on coronaviruses"
https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses