Passengers on the novel coronavirus-hit cruise ship Diamond Princess docked in Yokohama, near Tokyo, began disembarking Wednesday after a two-week quarantine period ended.
The process of disembarkation is expected to take three days, the government said, with the first group allowed to leave the quarantined vessel comprising around 500 mainly elderly passengers on board who have tested negative for the virus.
Of those who began disembarking the vessel, the health ministry said that they had completed their final round of checkups with health specialists.
The health ministry said prior to those disembarking on Wednesday that there were around 3,000 people aboard the vessel and test samples have been collected from all the passengers aboard the ship, with those found to have been infected with the virus having been transported to medical facilities.
Amid continued precautions from health officials, people who have had close contact with those found to have been infected on the ship will be required to remain onboard to be monitored, regardless of whether or not they have tested positive for the virus or not, the officials said.
As for the ship's staff and crew, the health ministry said that operator of the vessel will decide when those not infected with the virus will be able to leave the ship.
During their period of quarantine, passengers were asked to spend the majority of time inside their cabins in a bid to help combat the spread of the virus on board, with those disembarking Wednesday expressing delight about their ordeal coming to an end, with some waving as they left the ship.
One passenger in his 70s told local media that it felt like he had been away from Japan for a long time. "I just want to go home and eat Japanese food," the former passenger told Japan's public broadcaster NHK.
"I am relieved I was able to get off. I want to take a good rest since I am returning home for the first time in a month," another, also in his 70s, said after disembarking.
Talking to his friends on the phone helped to "keep his spirits up," while confined to the ship, another remarked.
Those disembarking Wednesday were transported in around 10 buses to Yokohama Station and other nearby stations so that they could return home.
Japanese health minister Katsunobu Kato said at a parliamentary committee meeting that those disembarking the vessel no longer needed to be isolated and that there were no concerns about them using public transport to get home after leaving the ship.
"The National Institute of Infectious Diseases has indicated they can use public transportation as long as they were monitored for 14 days, tested negative to the virus and were confirmed to be in good health," Kato stated.
Officials from the health ministry said that those residing in Japan who disembark the ship, however, while free to return home, will be contacted for several days via phone to check on their health.
The Japanese government, meanwhile, has stood by its decision to quarantine the ship, saying the measure was appropriate and one that was endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Japan's top government spokesperson said that the protecting the health of the ship's passengers and crew had been its priority, stating that "the government has given the utmost consideration for protecting the health of passengers and crew."
The cruise ship, initially carrying around 3,700 passengers and crew from more than 50 countries and regions, has been quarantined at the Yokohama Port south of Tokyo since Feb. 5, after a passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong on Jan. 25 tested positive for the virus.
All passengers testing negative for the virus should be allowed to disembark the vessel by Friday, government officials have said.
