EXCLUSIVE: Alan Steele, from Wolverhampton, tested positive for coronavirus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, currently docked in Yokohama Bay in Japan, and has been taken to hospital
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Coronavirus: Brit man on honeymoon infected on Japan cruise ship, says passenger
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British man 'in 40s-50s' caught coronavirus in Singapore before going to Brighton A&E
Alan and Wendy Steele, from Wolverhampton, on their wedding day last month (Image: Facebook)
This is the first picture of a British newlywed who caught coronavirus on a honeymoon cruise with his wife.
Alan Steele, from Wolverhampton, revealed that he is the British holidaymaker who contracted the SARS-like bug on the Diamond Princess.
The 58-year-old said he wasn't showing any symptoms and he was being taken to hospital for treatment, and his wife has demanded that she go with him.
Mr Steele, whose wife Wendy hasn't tested positive for the virus, wrote to his family and friends on Facebook: "Just to let you all know I have been diagnosed as having the virus and am being shipped to hospital.
"Would also like to say that at the moment I am not showing any symptoms so just possible a carrier.
"Will let you know how I am going on when possible."
Are you on the ship? Email [email protected].
Mr Steele, 58, was being taken to hospital after testing positive for the virus
(Image: Facebook)
It is believed Mrs Steele, a mental health nurse, remains on board the quarantined cruise ship, which is docked in Yokohama Bay with 3,700 passengers and crew on board.
The couple was due to travel back to the UK so Mr Steele could start a new job on Monday.
Mrs Steele will celebrate her 52nd birthday on Tuesday next week while in quarantine.
She told the Washington Post in a Facebook Messenger chat: “I have demanded that they test me. I WILL NOT be separated from Alan.”
Mr Steele added: “I have been infected and am being transferred to hospital. Must say I am not showing any symptoms at the moment.”
Japanese officials are refusing to allow any passengers or crew off until the outbreak is finished.
Fellow Brit David Abel, 74, said in a video update on Facebook that he had been dining with Mr Steele.
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Medical personnel in protective gear stand next to ambulances at an entrance of the Diamond Princess
(Image: FRANCK ROBICHON/EPA-EFE/REX)
Mr Abel said: "He will almost certainly be leaving the ship today – real, real shame.
"I have no idea how he must be feeling … they're on their honeymoon.
"He will be going off in to quarantine in a medical facility and she has to stay on board the ship because she's not displaying symptoms.
Passengers are seen next to clothes hanging at their cabins on the cruise ship
(Image: REUTERS)
More than 40 people on the ship have tested positive for the flu-like virus
(Image: JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images)
"That's going to be really, really tough for him so just bear a thought for these passengers who just don't know what is going to be lying ahead of them."
Princess Cruises confirmed a British passenger had tested positive for coronavirus.
The cruise line said 41 people, including the one Briton, had tested positive for the virus on the Diamond Princess which is quarantined off Yokohama Bay in Japan.
The announcement comes after a third person in the UK was diagnosed with coronavirus, and is believed to have caught the illness in Singapore.
It has been reported that this third patient is a middle aged British man and is understood to be the first UK national to contract the disease.
Princess Cruises said the quarantine on the ship was due to end on February 19, barring "unforeseen developments".
There are about 3,700 passengers and crew on board the ship in Yokohama Bay
(Image: FRANCK ROBICHON/EPA-EFE/REX)
Passengers go for a stroll on one of the cruise ships decks on Friday
(Image: REUTERS)
In a statement, the company added: "Princess Cruises can confirm the nationalities of the 41 people who were tested positive for coronavirus are from Argentina (one); Australia (five); Canada (five), Japan (21); United Kingdom (one) and United States (eight)."
The latest diagnoses comes as as health experts issued a new warning to travellers arriving from several Asian countries.
Passengers on the Diamond Princess have been asked to stay in their rooms and avoid close contact with others.
Crew handed out thermometers and gloves so the passengers could check their temperatures every 30 to 60 minutes for a fever, one of the main symptoms of the virus.
Passengers who haven't been infected are trying to stave off boredom.
Alana Donaldson, an Australian passenger who is trapped on the Diamond Princess, told Mirror Online: "The only thing happening this evening is that Princess has confirmed 19th as the date that the quarantine will end as long as there are no unforeseen circumstances.
"But we have been out on deck in smallish groups so that is something."
Sourse: www.mirror.co.uk
