Diamond Princess skipper Gennaro Arma, the last to leave the coronavirus-hit cruise ship at Yokohama overnight, is a "symbol of the Italy that does not give up", Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Monday. Di Maio praised Arma for "transmitting serenity to all".
Arma's employers hailed him as a hero.
"Captain Arma was last to leave #DiamondPrincess," Princess Cruises said via its Twitter account, @PrincessCruises.
"He is a hero in our eyes. "We thank him & our exceptional onboard team. "We offer our sincere gratitude to all the agencies in Japan & around the world who worked with us to support our guests & crew through this extraordinary time".
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