TOKYO: The inside of the coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship during quarantine in Japan was in a dire situation, an infectious disease expert has claimed after entering the ship.

In a YouTube video, Kobe University Prof. Kentaro Iwata said that when he got on the ship as a member of DMAT, or disaster medical assistance team, he felt "scared from the bottom of my heart" as infection control measures there were terrible.

Iwata said he thought that it would be no surprise if he was infected with the coronavirus while in the ship.

On Thursday, Iwata removed the video. He said on Twitter: "I removed my YouTube clip myself since there is no need for further discussing this. Thank you and I apologize to those who got involved."

At a press conference on the day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the government has nothing to do with the removal of the video.

But Suga admitted that the government asked Iwata to get off the vessel as it was "inappropriate" for him to engage in activities different from those of DMAT members.

The top government spokesman stressed that the ship quarantine was conducted in an effective way with the regular presence of experts.

The Diamond Princess was placed in a 14-day quarantine by Japanese authorities early this month after a man who had disembarked from the ship in Hong Kong was confirmed to have the coronavirus.

More than 600 people on board have tested positive, making the largest cluster of infected people outside China. Passengers who have tested negative are allowed to leave the ship from Wednesday.

However, Iwata criticized the disembarkation policy at a meeting of opposition lawmakers on the day. He said that the accuracy of virus tests is around 30 to 50 pct at best, and that it is not medically correct to deny the possibility of infection only based on the test results.

According to Iwate Medical University Prof. Shigeru Sakurai, who conducted an on-board survey of the ship at the request of the health ministry, no infectious disease experts were stationed in the ship on a regular basis from the beginning of the quarantine.

Sakurai, meanwhile, said area-zoning arrangements to prevent the spread of the virus were in place in the Diamond Princess.

On the infection of a DMAT nurse with the virus, Sakurai said there were problems with the use of face masks and disinfectants among DMAT members.

JIJI Press