【明報專訊】THE 14-DAY quarantine enforced on the Diamond Princess, the epidemic-stricken cruise ship moored off Japan, has come to an end. Passengers who have not shown symptoms have been allowed to leave the ship in batches. Experts, however, are worried that there might be ''hidden patients'' among them who might spread the epidemic further. As the outbreak on the Diamond Princess has got out of hand with echoes of Amoy Gardens in 2003, the Japanese government's responses have been much criticised. Equally worrying is the emergence of confirmed cases with unknown sources of infection in different regions of Japan. Some experts even argue that the government might have covered up the real situation of the outbreak because of the Olympic Games in the coming summer. An ostrich attitude, a carefree mindset and a failure to tackle a problem are often the greatest reasons for the escalation of a crisis. Both the outbreak of the epidemic in Wuhan and Hebei and the case of the Diamond Princess have magnified the problems when government officials fail to discharge their obligations, shirk their responsibilities, lose their sensitivity and neglect their duties. All sides must learn from this in a serious manner. The international community does not have clear guidelines or agreements concerning how to handle an epidemic-stricken cruise ship. Facing the threat of the epidemic, all countries must step up cooperation and support each other.