Coronavirus: meals, zumba, sudoku ... life in slow motion on the Diamond Princess in quarantine

“Welcome aboard the Diamond Princess . Come explore, enjoy, relax, dine, have fun. Passengers will mainly remember the "dinner" from the promotional video for this cruise in the South China Sea. On social networks, photos of meals taken on board the tourist liner have flourished since its quarantine in early February.

"I spend most of my time eating, showering and sleeping," said Daxa, a 30-year-old Japanese man. He will long remember his first cruise. After fourteen days of sailing, the voyage aboard the "Diamond Princess" took on the appearance of a nightmare. "I want to go home as soon as possible!" Annoys the thirty-something.

夜 ご は ん 届 き ま し た .dinner. 7:07 PM # ダ イ ヤ モ ン ド プ リ ン セ ス #DiamondPrincess #CoronavirusOutbreak #Quarantine pic.twitter.com/KDcJWB13S6

On February 3, an 80-year-old passenger, disembarked from the ship in Hong Kong a few days earlier, tested positive for 2019-nCoV, now known as Covid-19. This new coronavirus, which appeared in Wuhan, in central China, in December, has more than 1,000 officially killed and is present in around twenty countries.

Japanese authorities immediately quarantined the liner as it prepared to return to Yokohama, a city south of Tokyo, after passing through Vietnam and Taiwan. Among the 3,700 passengers and crew members, at least 135 cases of contamination have been confirmed. Four Frenchmen are on board the boat.

"I trust the crew of the boat"

Since February 3, life on the "Diamond Princess" has therefore been punctuated by meals, daily temperature measurements and the various programs offered by the crew via television. "They added 140 films," says Tehya, an 18-year-old Australian girl, whom we were able to reach. They also make available videos that they have shot themselves, such as physical exercises that you can practice in a small room, zumba on a chair for example, ”she adds.

Yes, 66 new cases have been id'ed on board, and I do feel bad for those people, but because life goes on. . . here was lunch: tater salad, three bean something, and pork adobo. And Coke! No complaints here. pic.twitter.com/YgGdmwLkKy

“In a show called The Wake Show , crew members present various activities such as origami tutorials. There is also content for children. And sudoku or crossword puzzles are sent to our rooms, ”explains the young Australian, who went on a cruise accompanied by her grandmother. " She is fine ! She is very fit, she says. She celebrated her 70th birthday during the trip. "

@PrincessCruises staff bringing a little light to my day. Small things like this really do make a difference! Thank you 🙂 pic.twitter.com/ZgP15j93xX

Daxa kills time on Twitter. "I respond to the many requests from journalists," he explains. The messages come from all over the world, it doesn't stop. Surprisingly, his days seem shorter. "But I'm bored, I just want to go home as soon as possible," repeats the Japanese.

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Once every two days, passengers can go out on deck, "for an hour." "We must wear a mask, use antibacterial gel regularly and stay two meters from someone when we talk to him," explains Tehya.

# day3 #coronaoutbreak #coronavirus #quarantine on #diamondprincess #bestmomentoftoday so nice to breathe fresh air pic.twitter.com/xDYChSMDQn

The biomedical student, who wants to become a doctor, keeps a cool head. "Mentally, I feel good. With my grandmother, we keep our spirits up and we can change our minds, "she says, saluting the work of the staff on board" who do everything to make us feel as good as possible in our bedrooms ".

"Of course, this coronavirus worries me a bit, like most people in the world I imagine. But I trust the crew of the boat and the measures they have taken to keep us safe. "

"Donald Trump, save us! "

Not all are equally serene. For an American couple, the honeymoon dreamed of for two years turned into disaster. "Donald Trump, save us! they launched to the President of the United States in an interview with CNN. Bring a plane, or get us off this liner! We don't think we are safe. We should be quarantined in a safer place, not on a cruise ship that is already infected, ”they say.

VIDEO. The logbook of a quarantined passenger on a ship in Japan

"We try not to get depressed, we hold on," tells Franceinfo Linda Vittori, a 62-year-old French woman from New Caledonia, who was kept aboard the "Diamond Princess" with her husband Michel, 80 years old. “It's very hard to be in quarantine. It was a shock when we learned about it. It happened very quickly. You imagine, you come out of a context of parties, strolls, fun, because on board it's really La Croisière having fun . And on Sunday evening, the day before disembarkation, you see the coast guards boarding the boat, gloved, camouflaged people, boarding. "

From their bedroom, they watch the ballet of vehicles crisscrossing the port of Yokohama. “I can see millions of cars in front of me. But we feel alone, alone, alone, very small. We are afraid of being forgotten. It is very, very hard to live, ”laments the Frenchwoman. Another eight days to hold for the thousands of passengers. "The end date of the quarantine remains February 19, unless unforeseen developments," said the American company Princess Cruises.