MINISTER FOR Foreign Affairs and outgoing Tánaiste Simon Coveney has confirmed that there are a number of Irish passengers trapped on cruise ships where the Coronavirus has been detected.
Two ships-- the Diamond Princess off the coast of Japan and the Westerdam off the coast of Cambodia-- have over 500 confirmed cases of the virus between them.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland this morning, Mr Coveney confirmed that there are "a small number" of Irish passengers aboard both ships and that the Irish Government are "dealing with each individual case".
"There is a second cruise ship off Cambodia, we're working with Irish nationals on both of those ships to make sure they're safe," he said. "And if they're in quarantine, to make sure those conditions are safe."
Simon Coveney (Getty Images)The quarantine period for passengers on Japan's Diamond Princess ends tomorrow, he added, but said he did not want to go into much detail regarding the passengers in order to maintian patient confidentiality.
The Diamond Princess has been quarantined since early February after ten passengers tested positive for the virus; in just two weeks the number of infected passengers has jumped to 450.
A County Meath couple were known to be among the thousands of passengers trapped onboard, but Mr Coveney's revelation this morning confirms that they are not the only Irish citizens at risk.
