Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi demanded on Tuesday assurances from the Japanese authorities after it emerged that three Indonesian crew members of the British-American-owned Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan had tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

The Princess Cruises-operated Diamond Princess initially had 3,711 people on board when it was placed under mandatory quarantine in the waters off Yokohama, Japan, last week over fears of contamination from a passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong last month and who had contracted the virus. Among those on board were 78 Indonesian nationals who worked as part of the ship’s crew and all of whom had a clean bill of health up until Tuesday.

Japan has come under fire for its handling of the situation after the number of confirmed cases rose almost daily among passengers and crew members on board the ship. Japan confirmed on Tuesday that another 446 people had tested positive for the virus, Retno told reporters.

“Based on my last correspondence with the Japanese ambassador in Jakarta, we have obtained information that three of the 78 Indonesian crew members aboard the cruise ship have been declared as confirmed [cases],” she said on the margins of an event in Jakarta welcoming the return of quarantined officials from China’s Hubei province, the epicenter of the virus outbreak.

Two of the three crew members had been rushed to a hospital in nearby Chiba, the minister said, while the last member was waiting to be taken to an unnamed hospital as of midday Tuesday.

“A team from the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo has gone to Chiba to ensure that the Indonesian citizens receive proper treatment from the Japanese authorities,” Retno said.

In a separate meeting with Japanese Ambassador Masafumi Ishii, Retno underscored Jakarta’s request for authorities to tend to the Indonesians on board the Diamond Princess, just as a number of countries announced plans to evacuate their citizens from the ship, including members of the crew.

The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and South Korea have all said they would evacuate their citizens from the boat, as more than 300 Americans arrived back on home soil on Monday, AFP reports.

Separately, Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato insisted that passengers who tested negative would be allowed to disembark from Wednesday, saying the process would last two or three days.

But those who had close contact with people who have tested positive will have their quarantine reset to the date of their last contact with the infected person.

Crew members are also expected to remain to observe another quarantine period after the last passengers leave the ship, sparking complaints from the Indonesian side.

“I asked for more detailed information about the Japanese plans for after [Wednesday]. This is specifically because the information we have received so far is still quite limited,” she said.

Retno said the government had maintained communication with the Indonesian crew members, all the while demanding that the Japanese authorities give assurances that the cruise operator will guarantee their rights to prevent any unforeseeable circumstances.

“Evacuation was always on the table from the very beginning,” she said.

It is understood that unlike Indonesia’s evacuation of 243 people from Wuhan, China, at the beginning of the month, evacuating Indonesian crew members from the Diamond Princess requires not only a green light from the Japanese authorities but also from the ship’s captain, who answers to the operator, Princess Cruises.

“We have maintained coordination with both the Japanese authorities and the cruise operator. We also have to coordinate with the operator,” Retno insists.

In a statement posted to its website on Monday, United States-based Princess Cruises, a popular brand under British-American cruise giant Carnival Corp. & PLC, said it would “continue to follow guidance from the Japanese Ministry of Health on plans for disembarkation protocols to provide medical care for these new cases”.

The company was not immediately available to comment on the situation regarding the Indonesian crew members of the cruise ship.

Tuesday’s confirmed cases bring the total tally of infected Indonesians worldwide to four, alongside an Indonesian domestic helper who contracted the virus in Singapore. However, Indonesia continues to dodge the bullet when it comes to confirmed cases of the virus within the country.

Despite hosting millions of Chinese visitors every year, Indonesia remains among the few places in Southeast Asia that has been left untouched by the virus, confounding experts and scientists alike.

Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto, a devout Christian and former military doctor, has spurred controversy following his repeated claims that Indonesia’s good fortune stemmed from prayers after some 102 suspected cases of the virus tested negative.

Nonetheless, according to a survey of 27,000 people from 23 countries by global public opinion and data company YouGov, Indonesians feel more anxious about the coronavirus — which has killed nearly 2,000 people — than their neighbors. (tjs)

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