Japan says 88 more virus cases confirmed on quarantined ship

In this Feb. 15, 2020, photo, a man talks on the phone next to a South Korean flag hanging in the balcony of his cabin on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, near Tokyo. The 14-day quarantine for those on the ship is scheduled to end Wednesday. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) (Jae C. Hong, Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

TOKYO – Japanese health authorities said Tuesday they have confirmed 88 more cases of the new virus on a quarantined cruise ship near Tokyo.

The new cases bring the total on the Diamond Princess to 542.

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The number is by far the largest outside China.

The Japanese government has repeatedly defended the effectiveness of the quarantine and bristled against criticism that the ship became a virus incubator instead of a quarantine facility.