'We're missing out on our lives': Inside the hellish cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Japan where hundreds of passengers are confined to their cabins due to coronavirus fears
- The Soh family from Melbourne are among 225 Australians trapped on a cruise
- Japanese authorities put the Diamond Princess in quarantine at Yokohama
- So far 135 people on board the doomed cruise have contracted coronavirus
- Thousands of people are being confined to their cabins for at least two weeks
An Australian family trapped aboard the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship amid coronavirus fears in Japan said they are 'missing out on their lives'.
Mother-of-three Aun Na Tan is one of 225 Australian passengers in lockdown on the boat, where people are being confined to their cabins for two weeks.
Along with two of her children and husband, she has been stuck in their small room - with only a few films and books to occupy their days with no natural light.
Their quarantine terror is expected to finally end on February 19, she explained, while at least 135 on board have been struck down by the deadly virus.
Scroll down for video
Aun Na Tan (pictured, centre) her children Xander Soh (left), 19, and Kaitlyn Soh (right), 16, and husband Jeff Soh (back, centre) are spending two weeks in quarantine on a cruise ship
'I'm just glad we are together as a family,' she said.
'I know some other families who, because they've got separate rooms with kids are unable to see their kids.
'We're all together, we can see each other, we know we're all safe - so we're fine in the area we are in.
'So it hasn't affected us as much.'
She is trapped in the cabin along with her husband Jeff Soh and teenage children, Xander, 19, and Kaitlyn, 16.
They are among 3,600 passengers in lockdown on the ship in the port of Yokohama, with only small numbers of passengers allowed out of their rooms for an hour at a time.
The Soh family (pictured) have been keeping themselves in high spirits by sharing their plight on social media
Ms Tan (pictured) and her family have been trying to stay fit by exercising in their tiny cabin
Sharing pictures of her family exercising, and even doing handstands against the tiny cabin's walls, she explained they were trying to stay healthy.
Her husband is even back to work, working remotely on his laptop inside the cramped interior room.
'We're being looked after here,' she said.
'We've been doing a bit of stretching and exercise in the room, just to make sure we're staying a bit healthy.
Aun Na Tan (pictured) has been exercising with her family in their tiny cabin to try and stay healthy during their quarantine
Some of the 3,500 passengers are being allowed to walk around the deck (pictured) but not very often
'I've been chatting to a lot of family and friends. I've had a lot of messages coming in, they're keeping me occupied.
'We're really, we've got movies to watch. The kids are doing a lot of social media stuff, chatting with friends and surfing the internet with their smart devices, playing games.
'We were looking forward to the Queen and Adam Lambert concert, but we've missed that now.
'So we're just missing out on our everyday life, I guess.'
Passengers have been told they will get a full refund for the cruise,
The crisis began when an 80-year-old man from Hong Kong fell ill after disembarking the ship.
A mandatory quarantine period was then put on the ship by the Japanese government.
While many can disembark on February 19, those who came in close contact with confirmed coronavirus sufferers on board will have to wait until a fortnight since the interaction.
Four Australians are among the 135 passengers who have tested positive for the virus.
Those suffering with the respiratory disease have since been removed and taken to hospital in Japan.
The Diamond Princess cruise ship (pictured) is docked in the port of Yokohama in Japan during the quarantine
The Soh family (pictured) are doing exercise, as well as watching films, reading books and using social media to pass the time
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said the department is urgently seeking advice from Japanese authorities on new cases among Australians on the ship.
Local health officials confirmed that among the new infections were 45 Japanese nationals, 11 Americans, four Australians, three from the Philippines and one each from Canada and Ukraine.
None of the 266 people in quarantine in Darwin after being evacuated from the coronavirus epicentre in China have shown any signs of the respiratory infection, medical authorities said.
Comments 0
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
