Coronavirus Scare: Odia Engineer Stranded At Japan Port Appeals For Help

Berhampur: A young engineer from Pandara Sahi in Odisha’s Berhampur has reportedly been stranded on a ship off Yokohama in Japan amid coronavirus outbreak for the last 15 days.

In a video, the engineer, Sivasish Nayak, has appealed to the Government of India as well as the Odisha government for his safe evacuation from the cruise ship. He has already spent 14 days in quarantine. “As per the Captain’s announcement, the crew members would be put under quarantine for another 14 days. Since we are staying inside the crew cabin, the Japan government has imposed restrictions on us and we are not allowed to move out of the ship,” he said.

The engineer has reportedly tested negative for coronavirus (now officially named COVID-19).

“Already, 545 persons have tested positive for coronavirus on the cruise. I appeal to the government to save us from getting infected by the deadly virus,” he added.

Parents of the engineer, Sivasish Nayak, have also sent out a similar appeal to the state and central governments.

Talking to the media here on Wednesday, Lingaraj Nayak, the father of the Odia engineer, said that his son is among the 160 Indians quarantined in the ship for the deadly novel coronavirus.

“My son had messaged me through WhatsApp that some US nationals have been evacuated by their government. However, the Government of India is yet to take any steps to bring back the 160 stranded passengers,” he said.

He further said that Sivasish was not allowed to leave the ship though he had tested negative for the virus. “My son is starving for the last 15 days. I have urged the state government and the Government of India to take immediate steps to evacuate my son and the other Indians from the ship and bring them back to the country,” he added.

Sivasish, who works for a company in Delhi, was sent to Vietnam and Japan on a business tour. “After returning from Vietnam, my son had visited Japan. But he got stranded there after some people were found afflicted with coronavirus,” his father said.