We are a few days away from our exciting adventure to the Orient. One stop will be Taiwan. However, Japan-China relations just deteriorated.- Japan's first female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on 31October2025. All went well.
But on November 7, Takaichi veered from Japan's policy of "strategic ambiguity" about Taiwan, suggesting that an attack on Taiwan could amount to a "survival-threatening situation" that would permit Japan to exercise collective self-defense.- This drew the ire of China, which has maintained that Taiwan is part of China, and that they will someday, by force, if necessary, regain total control, as was done with Hong Kong. We also will visit that city, twice on this trip.
- Takaichi refused to retract her remarks.
Usually, most of what happens is just tense talk, but this time, China urged their citizens to hold off on any trip to Japan this year.- If the Chinese take this seriously, Japan will be significantly affected, for a quarter of all foreign visitors come from China. This is up to 7.5 million tourists from mainland China for the first nine months of 2025.
After a few days in Yokohama, we will board the Diamond Princess for Singapore on November 25, with stops in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
- This is our favorite cruise ship, our third time on board.
- It's usually sold out by now.
- But I just went to Vacations to Go to check, and found the following.
- Clearly, many tourists from China have cancelled.
- We spent two weeks on the Diamond Princess at the end of 2019.
- My posting on 25January2020 was: China, Another Pandemic?
Five days later: Latest on the Coronavirus and My Chinese New Year Cuisine. Clearly, I did not then realize how serious this disease was.
On 1February2020: Everything You Need to Know About Coronavirus Super Bowl LIV. To quote:- The death toll has now passed 250, total. However, keep in mind that 3700 die DAILY from traffic accidents, and we still keep on driving.
- Thailand was #2 in cases, next to China: Yikes! Thailand has more Wuhan coronavirus cases outside of China. I leave for Bangkok in ten days.
2February2020: Could the Wuhan Coronavirus be a Sign of Doomsday?- The death toll from the Wuhan Coronavirus is now past 300, with 14,300 confirmed cases. A Wuhan man visiting the Philippines perished with this disease. He is the first to die outside of China.
- As I am still scheduled to fly to Thailand in 10 days, here is a graphic from the Bangkok Post:
- I leave this morning for Bangkok. A simple trip with five others has now been reduced to three because the others felt it was too dangerous because of the coronavirus epidemic that has spread to Thailand. There has been a lot of concern expressed to me by residents of 15 Craigside, mostly for my welfare. However, no doubt there is also a worry that I will return to infect them with some horrible tropical disease, like perhaps the Wuhan coronavirus, which, incidentally, now has an official name: COVID-19. The 19 because it was discovered in 2019.
- Thailand is now up to 33 cases, the latest a 54-year old Chinese woman from Wuhan, who is now in quarantine. So far, no fatalities. The government barred passengers on Holland America's MS Westerdam from disembarking, even though the cruise started in Singapore, with an eventual destination of Yokohama. That cruise ship I was on in December, the Diamond Princess, now quarantined in Yokohama, is now up to 175 cases of COVID-19.
- Then it got worse, for the person who sat between us had a mask on and was coughing. I tried to do as little talking to him as possible anyway, but we then found out he was visiting Phuket from CHINA! How did he get into Thailand, we asked, for people from there are not allowed in. He said something about the laxness of flying in from a small airport in his country into Phuket. While most in the plane wore masks, except me, every few seconds someone in plane coughed. Hope these were the ones wearing a mask. Nevertheless, I had a beer with macadamia nuts while everyone was coughing around me. Seemed like I was the only one eating.
- To close, China has the most confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 74,516, and deaths, 2.113. Slight less than a 2% fatality rate. The Diamond Princess is #2 with 634 cases and two deaths, both in their 80's. If no more cases are found, the number of deaths should just about reach double digits, or 10. Thailand has dropped to #7, and, with no deaths. Since we arrived almost ten days ago there might have been only one or two additional COVID-19 confirmations.
- Two items of personal note. When I arrived in Thailand on February, it was #2 to China on number of COVID-19 cases. During my two-week stay, no new cases. Thailand is now #23, although since I left they added ten cases with one, and only, death. No such thing as tiger flu.
I stepped on to the Diamond Princess on November 29 and disembarked on December 7. On January 20 an 80-year old passenger boarded this ship. He had COVID-19, leading to 696 cases and 6 deaths.
- COVID-19 Pandemic on Diamond Princess.
- Of the 3711 people on board, 712 (19%) became infected with the virus and 14 died, a mortality rate of 2%.
- Ultimately, the world mortality rated ended up at 1%.
- However, if you were 85 and over, the rate was close to 8%, while if you were under 20 years old, only 0.001%.
- Crew members were much younger than passengers, and no staff person died.
- Watch this video.
Diamond Princess.- 80-year old passenger from Hong Kong had been in Shenzen, China on January 10, and was coughing on January 19.
Ship left Yokohama on January 20.- That passenger left the cruise when the ship reached Hong Kong on January 25.
Ship was then quarantined at Naha Port, Okinawa on February 1, but continued normal operations, and left for Yokohama, arriving on February 3, but no one could leave the ship.- Most of the infections occurred from February 2-4.
- 10 of 31 people tested positive on February 4, so ship was quarantined off Yokohama for a two-week period.
- On February 7, up to 61 cases.
- February 10: 135 cases.
- February 13: 218 cases.
February 16/17, two chartered planes carrying 328 (of 400) Americans arrived in the U.S., and they were all quarantined.- Other countries also did the same.
- February 19: 621 cases. On that day those passengers who tested negative began to disembark.
February 20: The World Health Organization reported the total number of cases outside China to be 1076, meaning that more than half were from the Diamond Princess.- March 1: all passengers and crew members left ship.
- May 16: Diamond Princess departed to Malaysia.
It was determined that ship quarantine is bad, for cruise ships do not use HEPA filters which can screen 99% of particles, as is used in modern aircraft.- A movie as made: Frontline--Yokohama Bay.
Our upcoming Diamond Princess cruise will be the extended one, for 28-nights.
-
Comments
Post a Comment