For passengers and crew members on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship, a 14-day quarantine period is finally over.
Hundreds of people who tested negative for the coronavirus were allowed to disembark the ship Wednesday.
There were more than 3,700 people on board the ship when it anchored near the Japanese port of Yokohama on Feb. 3. It was then put under quarantine after a man who'd traveled on the ship in January tested positive for the virus.
Critics questioned the effectiveness of the quarantine since it didn't stop the coronavirus from spreading through the ship and infecting more than 620 passengers and crew members.
Everyone who was diagnosed was escorted to hospitals for treatment. But the rest of the passengers were ordered to stay on the ship while Japanese health officials conducted health screenings.
It can take several days to process those tests. So officials expect to have everyone who tests negative off the ship by Friday.
Hundreds of Americans were evacuated from the cruise ship before the quarantine ended. They're now undergoing another mandatory 14-day quarantine at two U.S. military bases.
Contains footage from CNN.
