CDC Restricts Americans Returning to the USA From Japan

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced it would take aggressive action to reduce the health risk in the USA.

Late on February 18, 2020, the CDC published this statement, ‘While the quarantine aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship potentially conferred a significant public health benefit in slowing the transmission of the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-10), it may not have been sufficient to prevent transmission among individuals on the ship.’

‘The CDC believes the rate of new infections onboard the cruise ship, especially among those without symptoms, represents an ongoing risk.’ 

‘Therefore, to protect the health of the American public, all passengers and crew of the ship have been placed under travel restrictions, preventing them from returning to the USA for at least 14 days after they had left the Diamond Princess.’

Currently, there are U.S. citizens still onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship or in hospitals in Japan. These citizens have been placed under the restrictions, as have the ship’s other passengers and crew.

After disembarkation from the Diamond Princess, these passengers and crew will be required to wait 14 days without having symptoms or a positive coronavirus test result before they are permitted to board flights to the USA.

If an individual from this cruise ship arrives in the USA before the 14-day isolation period ends, they will still be subject to a mandatory quarantine until they have completed the 14-day period with no symptoms or positive coronavirus test results.

Because of their high-risk exposure, there may be additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 among the remaining passengers on board the Diamond Princess.

CDC is committed to protecting the health and safety of all Americans. 

‘We continue to believe that the risk of exposure to COVID-19 to the general public in the United States is currently low.’  

The U.S. Government is taking these measures to protect the Diamond Princess passengers and crew, their loved ones, the traveling public, and communities within the United States.

Separately, Japan's health ministry said to the media early on February 18, 2020, that about 500 passengers are expected to disembark from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that has been quarantined at Yokohama, near Tokyo, Japan.

The ministry is conducting virus tests on all 3,100 people who remain on the ship. 

These individuals will be allowed to disembark if they show no health problems during the 14-day quarantine period.

A total of 542 passengers and crewmembers have already contracted the novel coronavirus disease. 

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