(Interview at Bottom of Page) Listen to Clay Travis interview American passengers Carl Goldman and his wife Jeri, as the couple continues to be trapped on the ill-fated Diamond Princess cruise ship that remains quarantined indefinitely in Japan, as the region continues to be slammed by coronavirus outbreaks.
The Diamond Princess cruise ship has been in quarantine since February 3rd when a passenger on board was diagnosed with the deadly virus, and was placed in absolute quarantine for two weeks, as the massive ship that holds over 3,700 passengers has been ominously sitting in a port in Yokohama, Japan, just south of Tokyo for eight days now.
Goldman, who owns Los Angeles radio station KHTS AM-1220, and is a notable media figure in the Southern California area, joined Outkick the Coverage Wednesday morning to discuss what it’s been like to go from luxurious seafaring adventure to claustrophobic exile.
Goldman says they departed on January 19th with no previous knowledge of the coronavirus outbreak, until two days into the journey when news was first breaking on the existence of a recently spreading virus. It was later revealed a passenger who had gotten off the ship in Hong Kong had come down with the virus on the last day the cruise was still out to sea.
The ship then immediately docked in Yokohama, as Goldman says Japanese health officials boarded the ship and discovered 10 people had tested positive for the virus. Passengers were immediately told they were not allowed to leave the boat.
Goldman says passengers in his part of the ship are allowed to go up on deck for one hour a day, but says him and his wife have only gone up twice in the 8 days the boat has been in quarantine. He says every passenger was issued a thermometer and are required to have their temperature taken every day. If your temperature goes up over 99.5 degrees, Goldman says, it’s supposedly the first signs of ‘trouble’ for a potential positive test for the virus. Goldman says him and his wife ‘freak out’ every time they cough or sneeze, in fear they may have contracted the virus.
Golden says 39 more passengers were deemed to have the coronavirus on Wednesday, pushing the total up to 175.
According to Goldman, American passengers have received daily emails from the American Embassy updating them on the situation, as Goldman says the ship's Wi-Fi has been functioning properly throughout the quarantine. Goldman also says the captain of the ship gives updates four times a day through audio speakers that all rooms have access to. Goldman says passengers are fed three times a day, and there is no sort of foot shortage or rations whatsoever, and that the food delivery resembles room service in a hotel.
Check out the full interview below as Goldman describes what his daily life has been like in this unprecedented global health crisis.