HONG KONG (SE): One hundred and two Hong Kong passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan, which has become one of the clusters of the Covid-19 outbreak, arrived back in Hong Kong by a chartered flight in the early morning of Friday, February 20. Among those who returned home are Mrs. Wong, a Catholic and her husband from Tai Po.
All the 102 passengers tested negative for the virus, but will still be quarantined for 14 days in Hong Kong.
On receiving the news that she and her husband could leave the cruise ship and return home, Wong expressed her joy and thanked her friends and family in Hong Kong who supported and prayed for them.
Wong shared her harrowing experience on the Diamond Princess with the Sunday Examiner and said, “Above all, I have to thank God for giving me the faith to trust in Him.”
Wong and her husband boarded the Diamond Princess from the Kai Tak cruise terminal for what was supposed to be a 10-day cruise destined for Yokohama. After that, they would stay for two more days in Tokyo before returning to Hong Kong. It was a reasonably-priced tour package which airfare, cruise and a hotel in Tokyo.
Moreover, Wong had never been to Vietnam and Okinawa, now this was an opportunity. The cruise wouldn’t dock at any port in mainland China, so they decided to go on this trip. They had sailed on the Diamond Princess several times before.
It was almost towards the end of the cruise that they heard about the contagion. Her first thought was that the Japanese government wouldn’t allow them to disembark and they would be quarantined on the cruise ship. Yet Wong said she was quite peaceful at that time and hoped for the best.
She recalls that prior to knowing about the quarantine on the cruise, everyone was happy, cheerful and took no particular measures to prevent the spread of the virus. For example, very few people wear masks. But before meals, everyone on board was instructed to wash hands with water or sanitisers from the first day of the cruise.
“When we were quarantined, we were not allowed to go out of our cabin except at specific hours for a walk on the deck. We had to wear masks and plastic gloves and were told to keep two metres distance from each other. I could see people were quite worried as more cases were reported positive to the virus test on the cruise ship,” Wong said in a WhatsApp chat with the Sunday Examiner.
Wong was part of a pilgrimage group that still keep in touch with other members in Hong Kong. Her group members supported her and her husband through their prayers and sending them comforting messages and updating them with the latest information.
“I could share my thoughts and feelings with my family members and friends through video calls and WhatsApp. Indeed this is really a challenging moment in my life. So I’m not alone.
My friend told me the story of Noah, who spent 40 days and nights on the Ark. So we are just following God’s plan,” Wong said.
Wong never felt scared, as she believes that she has a high Emotional Quotient (EQ) and Adversity Quotient(AQ). She prayed the rosary every day and attended online Mass on Sundays.
Wong is grateful for what the Princess Cruise and the Japanese government had done and appreciated their efforts. She also expressed her gratitude towards the Hong Kong government for sending the evacuation flight to take them home.
In the midst of this traumatic experience, Wong could feel the hand of God guiding her and her husband. “One touching moment is that my husband, who is a non-believer, said the prayer to St. Roch holding my hand. I have the feeling that I’m going from Purgatory to Heaven! I need someone to pray for me and I’m experiencing the suffering of souls longing to see the face of God,” Wong said in her message.
