Diamond Princess: Evacuation of UK passengers delayed
The evacuation of Brits trapped aboard the coronavirus-struck Diamond Princess cruise ship has been pushed back by 24 hours.
The British embassy has delayed the departure of a flight from today to tomorrow, saying it is “logistically complicated”.
Around 70 British citziens have spent more than two weeks in quarantine on the Diamond Princess after a man who disembarked in Hong Kong was diagnosed with the coronavirus.
Of 3,700 people on board, more than 620 have so far tested positive for the virus.
Two Japanese passengers in their 80s and with underlying health conditions died after contracting the coronavirus on board the Diamond Princess.
And at least four Brits have contracted the virus, officially named Covid-19. However, those due to fly home have tested negative for the virus.
The Foreign Office had advised UK nationals to remain on board the ship, saying there could be administrative difficulties if they left.
However, the UK is repatriating the cruise ship passengers later than the US and other countries, who flew citizens home after the quarantine ended on Wednesday.
The Brits who fly home will spend 14 days in quarantine in Arrowe Park Hospital after landing at a military base in Wiltshire.
“There is no risk to the public, and the hospital will continue to run as normal,” the Department of Health has said.
The coronavirus is set to be the main topic of discussion at this weekend’s G20 summit as the number of confirmed cases outside China rose. South Korea has seen a fivefold increase to 150 cases, and Singapore and Japan each have a total of 85 cases.
The overall number of coronavirus cases has now hit 75,400 and the death toll has hit 2,236, according to Chinese officials.