MUMBAI: Mira Road resident Sonali Thakkar’s 24-day ordeal is close to being over as she was evacuated from the coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess ship along with over 120 Indians on Wednesday. Sixteen of 138 Indians, including 132 crew members and six passengers, onboard the ship docked at Japan’s Yokohama port since February 3, have tested positive for the infection so far and taken to hospitals there.
Sonali (24), who works as a security officer on the cruise liner, had been sending desperate pleas for evacuation as more passengers and crew members contracted the infection with every passing day. On Wednesday, her father Dinesh said Sonali sent them a picture showing she had boarded a bus and was headed to the Haneda airport from where an Air India plane was to fly them to Delhi. The Indians were ferried from the Yokohama port to Haneda—a 20km journey— in four buses, he said.
More than 700 of the 3,700-odd Diamond Princess passengers have tested positive for Covid-19 since it docked at Yokohama. At least four have reportedly died. The isolation of passengers on board the ship by Japanese authorities has met with criticism as it proved ineffective to contain the infection.
Thakkar’s family is relieved. “My daughter was in jail for 24 days. She is finally free,” said father Dinesh.
In Maharashtra, 91 symptomatic travellers have been isolated. As on Wednesday, two from Mumbai and one from Pune were in isolation.
Sonali (24), who works as a security officer on the cruise liner, had been sending desperate pleas for evacuation as more passengers and crew members contracted the infection with every passing day. On Wednesday, her father Dinesh said Sonali sent them a picture showing she had boarded a bus and was headed to the Haneda airport from where an Air India plane was to fly them to Delhi. The Indians were ferried from the Yokohama port to Haneda—a 20km journey— in four buses, he said.
More than 700 of the 3,700-odd Diamond Princess passengers have tested positive for Covid-19 since it docked at Yokohama. At least four have reportedly died. The isolation of passengers on board the ship by Japanese authorities has met with criticism as it proved ineffective to contain the infection.
Thakkar’s family is relieved. “My daughter was in jail for 24 days. She is finally free,” said father Dinesh.
In Maharashtra, 91 symptomatic travellers have been isolated. As on Wednesday, two from Mumbai and one from Pune were in isolation.
Get the app