Coronavirus: Britons on Diamond Princess cruise to be flown home
Britons stranded on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan will be evacuated on Friday.
There are 74 British nationals on the cruise, which was quarantined more than two weeks ago after a man who disembarked in Hong Kong was found to have the illness.
The foreign secretary Dominic Raab confirmed that there will be an evacuation flight home from Tokyo for people on the Diamond Princess ship who have showed no signs of illness.
Those who have tested positive, including the British couple who had been giving updates from the ship via social media, will remain in Japan for treatment.
Raab urged other Britons who wanted to leave to get in touch.
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Of the 3,700 passengers on board the Diamond Princess, more than 620 people have tested positive for the coronavirus which represents the largest cluster of cases outside China.
Two Japanese passengers who contracted the coronavirus on board the ship have died. Both were in their 80s and had underlying health conditions.
In a statement the foreign secretary said: “Details have been sent to those who have registered for the flight. We urge other British nationals still seeking to leave to contact us.”
“We will continue to support British nationals who wish to stay in Japan.”
The Britons who return to the UK from the Diamond Princess cruise will spend two weeks at Arrow Park Hospital on the Wirral, where two groups of people travelling from China have already been taken.
There have been 74,185 confirmed infections and the coronavirus has now claimed 2,004 lives. In the UK, 5,2316 people have tested for coronavirus and only nine people have tested positive.
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