American From Cruise Ship Docked In Cambodia Assessments Optimistic For Coronavirus

Passengers who want to leave MS Westerdam, a cruise ship that has spent two weeks at sea, in Cambodia.

Cambodia:

An 83-year-old American passenger from a cruise ship that docked in Cambodia after being avoided by other countries has tested positive for the new corona virus after a test in Malaysia, health officials said on Saturday.

The woman was the first passenger on the MS Westerdam, operated by the Carnival Corp unit Holland America Inc and tested positive for the virus.

The ship docked in Sihanoukville's Cambodian port on Thursday, carrying 1,455 passengers and 802 crew. It had spent two weeks at sea after being rejected by Japan, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines, and Thailand.

Passengers were regularly tested on board and Cambodia also tested 20 as soon as it docked. None of them found the new corona virus, which killed more than 1,500 people, the vast majority in China.

The American, along with 144 others, flew from Cambodia to Malaysia on Friday, told the Malaysian Ministry of Health in a statement, adding that she was in a stable condition.

The woman's husband has shown symptoms, but tested negative, it said. The couple were the only one of 145 who showed symptoms, the ministry said.

A spokesman for Holland America declined to comment.

According to a company official, there were fewer than 300 people on board the Westerdam who refused to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Company officials said passengers were led through Phnom Penh and Kuala Lumpur to return to their home countries, but they did not say that all passengers took this route.

Or Vandine, State Secretary in the Cambodian Ministry of Health, declined to comment.

US President Donald Trump thanked Cambodia for sending the ship in a rare message to a country that is one of China's closest allies and has often contradicted Washington.

Cruise ships across Asia fear widespread fears that they may spread the virus. The largest cluster outside of China was on the Diamond Princess, which was quarantined in Yokohama, Japan. Of around 3,700 passengers and crew on board, 285 were tested positive and taken to the hospital.

Vietnam rejected two ships on Friday.

The American case raises the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Malaysia to 22.

An 80-year-old Chinese tourist infected with the corona virus died in France, the first death in Europe and the fourth outside mainland China.

Most deaths have so far been recorded in the central Chinese province of Hubei, where the virus is believed to have originated in a wildlife market.

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