48 crew members onboard the cruise ship Costa Atlantica which is docked in the Japanese port of Nagasaki for repairs, tested positive at COVID-19. The Japanese authorities announced today, 14 additional crew members are confirmed positive from the latest tests, all among the kitchen and dining room staff.

One crew member was sent to a hospital after becoming seriously ill on Wednesday and was put on a respirator, officials said. 

There are 632 people on board Costa Atlantica of 33 nationalities, according to the Costa Cruises.

Costa Atlantica outbreak was announced on Tuesday when the first crew member, identified as a foreign national, tested positive for COVID-19. After which additional safety protocols were implemented on board and all crew isolated in single rooms on the ship except for those on essential duties.

The authorities of Nagasaki prefecture are concerned, as some crew members would have entered the city instead of staying within the perimeter of the pier. Details of the movements of the crew are not clear, as the officials suspect they had either contracted the virus while in town or when the ship switched crew in the past few weeks.

Mitsubishi initially said the crew never left dock after March 14, when Nagasaki reported its first coronavirus case and asked all crew members to stay on board. However, there are reports stating that some crew members who passed body temperature checks and other requirements had been allowed off the ship. On Thursday, Mitsubishi said there was a possible switch of crew and that the company was checking with the ship operator.