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Coronavirus pandemic
This Week in AsiaHealth & Environment

Could the coronavirus crisis sink the cruise industry?

  • The Diamond Princess went from a symbol of luxury to one of disaster when the coronavirus struck down hundreds of passengers
  • Its story raises questions not only about a quarantine seen by some as ‘a cruel human experiment’, but also about the future of a multibillion-dollar industry

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More than just an adventure, the Diamond Princess promised to be a “luxury destination in itself”. Before the cruise ship departed from Singapore on its latest voyage last month, its passengers expected to enjoy freshly prepared sashimi at a dedicated sushi bar, street performances in the extravagantly designed atrium and lavish productions at a “state-of-the-art” theatre. There was even a Japanese bathhouse for weary travellers to soak their limbs at the end of each day of entertainment and fine dining.
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But by the time the Diamond Princess reached its ultimate destination of Yokohama, Japan, on February 3, the vessel had transformed from a symbol of luxury into one of failed policy and unanswered questions about the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed more than 2,000 lives, sickened more than 75,000 and rattled economies worldwide.

The handling of the outbreak on the Diamond Princess, as well as the spectre of a potential outbreak aboard the MS Westerdam, has drawn criticism from medical experts who have questioned the effectiveness of quarantine procedures for luxury cruise vessels and their occupants.

Michael T. Osterholm, director of the Centre for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, described the quarantining of the Diamond Princess as “a cruel human experiment”.

“Keeping people on cruise ships is not the answer, getting them off as soon as possible is the answer,” he said. “From that standpoint, nothing we saw that happened on those cruise ships should have been unexpected.”

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Passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. Photo: EPA
Passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. Photo: EPA

There have been more than 650 confirmed cases of the coronavirus among the 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew, hailing from more than 50 countries, on board the vessel.

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