U.K. Man Dies From Coronavirus Caught on Cruise

(Bloomberg) -- A U.K. man has died after contracting the coronavirus while on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Japan, according to a statement from Japan’s Health Ministry.

He’s the sixth person to die after contracting the virus on the cruise ship, and the first foreigner, according to Kyodo news agency.

“We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Japan and are in contact with local authorities,” the U.K. Foreign Office said in an emailed statement. “Our sympathies and thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.”

Passengers on the cruise ship were quarantined for days off Yokohama after discovery of the virus on the vessel.

More than 1,000 passengers left the virus-hit ship last week after the quarantine period, and the U.K. organized return flights for its citizens. The vessel had the most infections anywhere outside China, with more than 600 confirmed cases.

Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido earlier on Friday declared a state of emergency due to the outbreak of coronavirus there, according to national broadcaster NHK. Residents on the island roughly the size of Maine have been told to refrain from leaving their houses this weekend, Governor Naomichi Suzuki said in a press conference.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday called on health minister Katsunobu Kato to create a comprehensive policy to prevent the further spreading of the virus.

To contact the reporters on this story: Nour Al Ali in London at nalali1@bloomberg.net;Colin Keatinge in London at ckeatinge@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Christopher Kingdon at ckingdon@bloomberg.net, Sunil Kesur

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