Coronavirus: British couple on board cruise test positive for virus
A British couple on board the cruise ship quarantined off the Japanese coast have tested positive for the coronavirus.
David and Sally Abel announced the news on their Facebook page, saying they were being taken to a hostel “with no medical facilities”.
It comes as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) announced it is working to organise a flight back to the UK for citizens on board the Diamond Princess cruise.
The FCO said: “Given the conditions on board, we are working to organise a flight back to the UK for British nationals on the Diamond Princess as soon as possible.”
“Our staff are contacting British nationals on board to make the neessary arrangements. We urge all those who have not yet responded to get in touch immediately.”
The Diamond Princess, which has been quarantined for the past two weeks, now has more than 450 confirmed cases.
The ship accounts for the biggest cluster of cases outside mainland China and brings Japan’s total number of cases to 454.
The spread of the coronavirus in Japan has raised the risk of a recession and has prompted Tokyo to put limits on public crowds.
The news come as the number of new coronavirus cases in mainland China fell below 2,000 for the first time since January.
However, while the strict travel restrictions in China have limited the spread of the coronavirus outside Hubei province, it has come at a cost to the economy and global business.
Asian stocks fell after Apple warned that it would not meet its revenue guidance due to subdued production and lower demand in China.
Singapore Airlines also said it is temporarily cutting flights to major cities in the three months to May.
Japan’s Nikkei index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng were both down 1.4 per cent. China’s SSE Composite fell in early trading before recovering up 0.05 per cent.
Meanwhile South Korea President Moon Jae-in said the economy was in an emergency situation and required stimulus as the spread of the coronavirus had disrupted demand for South Korean goods.
Chinese authorities have recorded a further 98 deaths, taking the total number of victims to 1,868. The 1,886 new infections brings the total number of cases on the mainland to 72,436.
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