Diamond Princess: One Hong Konger's life aboard 'not so bad'

Passenger on virus-plagued ship says compatriots stuck in Wuhan deserve priority

20200219 Diamond Princess main

The cruise ship Diamond Princess on Feb 11: Passengers from Hong Kong remain on board, but at least one feels lucky compared to others stranded in Wuhan, China, epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. © Reuters

MICHELLE CHAN, Nikkei staff writer

HONG KONG -- When Michelle Au, 53, boarded the Diamond Princess in Hong Kong with her husband on Jan. 25, she had no idea their 11-day luxury cruise would turn into a bizarre four-week sojourn on a plague-infested ship.

On the day the couple embarked on their voyage, an elderly passenger disembarked at the same port. Ten days later, the 80-year-old man, who had briefly visited mainland China, tested positive for the new coronavirus -- officially known as COVID-19 and responsible for sickening tens of thousands and killing over 2,000.

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