- Hundreds of passengers prepare to evacuate from a cruise ship after two weeks of quarantine off Japan over the coronavirus.
- Canada, South Korea, Hong Kong and Italy have followed the United States in announcing flights to bring home their citizens from the quarantined ship.
- Passengers to be symptom-free to board the flights and are likely to face quarantine on arrival.
- Infected passengers were taken to hospital in Japan and no one from the ship died.
- Latest figures from Beijing showed 68,500 cases of the illness and 1,665 deaths, mostly in Hubei province.
- Japan detected six fresh cases of the coronavirus on Sunday, apart from those on the ship, taking the total number of in-land infections to 59.
After spending two weeks under quarantine off Japan over the coronavirus, hundreds of passengers prepare to evacuate, reports Reuters.
Confirmed virus cases
Seventy more people were confirmed with the virus on board the Diamond Princess on Sunday, bringing the number of cases from the ship to 355, the most anywhere outside China.
Flying back home
Hundreds of passengers were preparing to be evacuated from a cruise ship on Sunday after two weeks of quarantine off Japan over the coronavirus. Americans in the ship are expected to begin flying home on chartered planes soon.
Canada, South Korea, Hong Kong and Italy have followed the United States in announcing flights to bring home their citizens from the quarantined ship.
Countries said passengers should be symptom-free to board the flights. They are likely to face quarantine on arrival.
The ship, owned by Carnival Corp., has been held in the Japanese port of Yokohama with 3,700 passengers and crew on board since a man who had disembarked in Hong Kong was diagnosed with the virus two weeks ago.
Read more: [Watch] Coronavirus Scare Heightens As Another Cruise With 3,700 Passengers is Quarantined!
Infected taken to hospital
Those with the disease have been taken to hospital in Japan and no one from the ship has died. Around half of the guests onboard are from Japan.
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo said passengers and crew on board the ship were at high risk of exposure to the virus and it recommended that its citizens get off and take one of the flights home.
U.S. citizens in the ship
The embassy said, “This is a rapidly evolving situation and we are taking additional steps to assist U.S. citizens.”
Screening before boarding
According to The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo,
- All passengers would be screened before being allowed to board the chartered flight,
- everyone would be quarantined for 14 days upon arrival back in the United States, and
- no symptomatic or infected passengers will be allowed to board.
Infected U.S. citizen
Clyde Smith, 80, taken from the ship to a Tokyo hospital after testing positive for the virus. He had not been told if he would be allowed on a U.S. evacuation plane.
Latest figures of infection spread
Latest figures from Beijing on Sunday showed 68,500 cases of the illness and 1,665 deaths, mostly in Hubei province.
Japan detected six fresh cases of the coronavirus on Sunday, apart from those on the ship, NHK reported, taking the total number of in-land infections to 59.
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Source: Reuters
