Right now, a Japanese cruise ship off the coast of Tokyo is facing the very real possibility of a 14-day quarantine.
3,700 passengers and crew members members onboard a Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama were quarantined after a passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong tested positive for the coronavirus.
10 people on board the ship initially tested positive for the virus.
The 10 included two Australian guests, three Japanese guests, three guests from Hong Kong, and one guest from the U.S. in addition to a Filipino crew member.
As of February 6, 2020, that number appears to have doubled.
According to the LA Times, the 10 newly confirmed cases includes “four Japanese guests, one guest from Taiwan, two Americans, two Canadians and one guest from New Zealand”.
Those confirmed to have the coronavirus will be taken to hospitals in Japan for treatment.
Life inside the cruise
In the midst of their quarantine at sea, the stranded passengers have been given access to free wifi to get in touch with their loved ones.
Meaning that the rest of the world will get to see what it's like to be quarantined at sea for at least 14 days.
The lavish ballroom in the ship is almost eerily quiet, according to a tweet by a passenger on the ship.
Which makes sense, considering no one knows just how many of the 3,700 have been infected by the virus.
In fact, the person who tweeted this offers a glimpse into the mindset of someone on board a floating quarantine centre.
In response to a tweet, he replied that he is "going to assume that (he) have already been infected”.
The cruise itself appears to be taking steps to ensure as little spread as possible.
They have quarantined the guests to their rooms, and are currently delivering food to each individual room in addition to handing out masks.
The cruise is also negotiating with Japanese officials to allow small groups of people out of their rooms for fresh air.
Food is delivered to their rooms, and they can choose their meals via a daily menu.
Here is some of the food being served.
In-room entertainment
Games are also being handed out to young children.
Guests are given a medical form to report any existing conditions they may have, as well as dietary requirements.
Which is particularly important to passengers such as Abel, who is diabetic. He posted a video on Facebook explaining his situation.
Despite the extreme conditions, his humour appears to be intact.
"I am not kidding, the ocean is the roughest we have experienced the whole time we've been away. Really is rocking and rolling the ship. But we've paid for the cruise and by golly thats' what we are getting. And just think, you have to pay money for this if you go on one of the rides at Disney, and we're getting this for free. Sort of."
And that positivity can be seen in other passengers as well.
Image from 乗船中 Twitter and Kyodo News