The Defense Ministry has bolstered protective measures for its medical staff on the Diamond Princess, applying a stricter protocol for using gear on the infected cruise ship, Defense Minister Taro Kono said Friday.
About 50 staffers from the Self-Defense Forces are working on the vessel to examine the passengers, disinfect cabins and transport patients. The ship was quarantined for two weeks off Yokohama on Feb. 5 to prevent COVID-19 from spreading in Japan.
Those handling medicine are now required to wear masks, gloves, gowns and hair caps, ministry officials said.
At a news conference, Kono admitted that the Defense Ministry applied the standards ¡ª which are higher than those in use by health ministry officials working on the vessel ¡ª after viewing a video from the ship posted by Dr. Kentaro Iwata of Kobe University Hospital, who joined the disaster-relief team as a veteran infectious disease specialist.
Kono said the ministry is not in a position to judge the validity of Iwata¡¯s claims as the health ministry is in charge of the quarantine. Friday¡¯s step was a precaution, he said.
In the video, Iwata said the situation aboard the ship was ¡°chaotic¡± and that anyone working inside could get infected with the potentially deadly virus. The doctor reportedly boarded the ship on Tuesday.
¡°It¡¯s quite important to ensure that all of the SDF personnel will come back without being infected,¡± Kono said. ¡°That¡¯s why we have applied higher protection standards than those of the health ministry.¡±
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