11 crew on the quarantined coronavirus cruise ship have contracted the disease - and the rest are afraid they'll be next

• Crew members are scared they're not being protected enough from the novel coronavirus, formally named COVID-19, on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship, multiple media outlets reported.
• Eleven crew members were among the 218 people who have tested positive for the virus.
• Employees said those infected had eaten and worked "elbow-to-elbow" with the rest of the crew.
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While passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship have been in quarantine, the crew that attends to them has not been, and some are worried that they're at a greater risk of being infected with the novel virus, several media outlets reported.

There are more then 3,700 people on board the ship that has been near the port of Yokohama, Japan, and 218 people have come down with the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

Japanese health officials began screening those on board for the virus after a man who disembarked in Hong Kong later tested positive for the coronavirus. Initially, only 273 were specifically tested for the virus because they were either showing symptoms or interacted with someone who had symptoms. Health officials later started testing more people, and so far 218 have tested positive for the virus, the Japan Times reported.

Sonali Thakkar who works on the ship told CNN that she's currently in isolation in her cabin, which she shares with another worker after she reported feeling sick with a headache, fever, and cough.

"We all are really scared and tense," Thakkar told CNN.

According to The Washington Post, workers on board said 10 shipboard workers tested positive for the virus. Crew members were not quarantined like passengers, so those who had the virus could have interacted with the rest of the crew.

One cook who spoke to The Post anonymously questioned why the crew has not been isolated.

"Are we not part of the ship? If passengers have been isolated, why haven't we yet?" he said to The Post.

As of Tuesday, the Japanese Health Ministry confirmed that 10 crew members were among the infected. Other employees told The New York Times, that those infected were working and eating "elbow-to-elbow" in the mess hall with the rest of the more than 1,000 person staff.

One additional crew member tested positive in later screenings, according to the Japan Times. That brings that total number of crew infected to 11 as of Friday.

Some of the crew deliver food to passengers, while others like Thakkar work on the gangway where passengers are moved on and off the ship, increasing their risk of coming into contact with someone who has the virus.

Those on board are scared that they'll be the next to fall ill.

Another cook told The Post: "I am stuck here, and I don't know if I will go home alive." He said he has not been tested for the virus.

While the passenger quarantine is set to end on February 19, it's unclear if crew will be released then as well. While some members had contracts that ended last week, they were required to stay and work through the quarantine, one cook told The Post. CNN reported that they are getting normal wages and will have paid time off after the quarantine.

Eric Rubin, professor of immunology at Harvard University, told CNN he was worried that keeping everyone on board was actually increasing the risk of more people catching the virus. So far, the ship has the highest number of cases outside of mainland China, where the virus originated.

"I think a lot of thought went into what to do with the passengers, but it puts the crew at increased risk," Rubin told CNN.

Experts also told The Times that the conditions for crew members could undermine the intended goal of quarantine and result in more people contracting the virus.

Crew member Binay Kumar Sarkar, who is from India, posted a video to Facebook and later sent another video to The Washington Post pleading to Indian and Japanese officials to remove uninfected people from the ship.

Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told the Japan Times, that those who test negative and are either elderly, have pre-existing conditions, or have windowless rooms will be allowed to leave the ship on Friday but will be required to stay in government provided housing.

So far, the virus has killed 1,366 people and infected more than 60,000.

• Read more:
• A Japanese health worker caught coronavirus on the quarantined cruise ship where 174 passengers have tested positive
• A cruise passenger quarantined on a coronavirus-stricken ship is now wondering if the best way off is just to get sick
• Passengers on the cruise ship quarantined off Japan over the coronavirus are 'stir crazy' in cramped rooms and say they're being fed stale bread
• Coronavirus is spreading fast on a cruise ship of 3,700 people quarantined off Japan, where 61 people have tested positive so far