TAMWORTH couple Eddie and Barbara Whitham face an anxious wait before they can return home after being caught up in the cruise ship coronavirus crisis.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The couple are being quarantined on a cruise-liner off the coast of Japan after at least 41 passengers tested positive to the deadly virus.
Mr Whitham told the Leader conditions had somewhat eased on the boat.
READ MORE:
"We are able to go out on deck; a few rostered at a time, under strict rules, wearing masks and not being within a metre from each other," he said.
We are able to go out on deck ... under strict rules, wearing masks.
- Eddie Whitham
Mr Whitham said the passengers had been given "the barest details" to date and international media on shore seem "to know more than us".
The Whithams - along with about 200 more Australians on board - could be quarantined off the coast of Japan for another two weeks.
The passengers have been largely confined to their cabins with meals and medical supplies being delivered to each suite.
Mr Whitham said he could see Mt Fuji from their cabin.
"From our balcony it's 83 kilometres away, but we may never get there," he said.
The department of foreign affairs has been in contact with the stranded Australians to offer support and provide updates.
Jacob McArthur
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
