STA, 7 February - The Foreign Ministry has confirmed that there are six Slovenians aboard a cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Japan because of the new coronavirus. They all feel well.
Andrej Šter, the head of the Foreign Ministry's consular service, said the Slovenians aboard the Diamond Princess, which is quarantined in Yokohama for two weeks, were three couples.
They have been in contact with the Slovenian Embassy in Tokyo since the day the quarantine was declared after a passenger who had been on the ship last month fell ill with the virus.
"They are fine and are not among those who tested positive. They are being looked after by Japanese health authorities, while our ministry, in particular colleagues at the Tokyo embassy, are keeping in touch with them," Šter told reporters in Ljubljana on Friday.
At least 61 of some 3,700 people on board have tested positive for the new coronavirus, including citizens of Japan, US, Canada, Australia, Argentina and the UK. So far 273 of the people on board have been tested.
Šter said that having been on the ship where the virus was detected the Slovenian passengers would have been quarantined for two weeks in any case even on land.
He could not say whether they might be subject to further restrictive measures or difficulties heading home once the quarantine was over end.
However, he promised for the ministry to try to organise their return home in a way so as to not expose them to any further danger or threaten their health in any way.
Šter also called for responsible reporting on the spread of coronavirus, saying that any exaggeration, either "embellishing the situation and covering the facts" or "creating a problem where there is none", was causing further problems.
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