Coronavirus: Britons stuck on Diamond Princess cruiser in Japan to be evacuated on Friday
Four of the 78 British passengers will remain in Japan after being infected with the virus.
Thursday 20 February 2020 14:08, UK
British tourists stuck on a coronavirus-hit cruise ship quarantined in Japan will be evacuated on Friday.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the flight would leave from Tokyo and that information had been provided to those on the Diamond Princess, docked in Yokohama for the past two weeks, who have registered for it.
He urged "other British nationals still seeking to leave to contact us".
"We will continue to support British nationals who wish to stay in Japan," Mr Raab added.
Four out of the 78 British passengers onboard have been confirmed as having COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
They are among 621 passengers to have been diagnosed with the virus, with an elderly Japanese couple dying on Thursday after they were taken off the ship.
There were originally 3,700 passengers and crew on the cruiser and more than 620 tested positive for COVID-19.
It is understood only healthy passengers with no symptoms of the virus will be allowed on the British evacuation plane and they will all be quarantined at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral in the North West for a fortnight.
Anybody who develops symptoms during the flight will be taken to hospital for treatment and any infected Britons on the ship will be treated in Japan.
The ship's quarantine was lifted on Wednesday, but it is understood any Britons who have left the ship will not be allowed on the charter flight.
Infected British passengers 'in the best place'
Two of the infected British passengers are David and Sally Abel, from Northamptonshire, who have been transferred to hospital which they said was "lovely".
In a Facebook post, Mr Abel said: "Outside the hospital I came over a bit weird and nearly passed out. Every pore on my body opened and I was wheelchaired to our room.
"Full health inspection and now we know what's going on. We both contracted a cold [unaware of] and it has not yet turned into pneumonia. [We do have coronavirus.]
"Tomorrow the big tests commence. Chest x-rays, ECG, chest scan, urine + more.
"We are both in the best place! They do know what they are doing and our two nurses are gorgeous. Sally likes the Dr too."
Other countries evacuating passengers
The European Commission announced the EU will be financing the repatriation of citizens from any of its 27 member states still stuck on the Diamond Princess.
Other governments have already evacuated their nationals from the Diamond Princess, including the US which flew more than 300 Americans back on Monday.
South Korea flew six of its citizens and one Japanese spouse back on Wednesday.
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Canada will evacuate nationals onboard on either Thursday or Friday but it is not clear if all 251 will be on the flight as 34 have tested positive.
Australia will evacuate 169 nationals, while 36 will remain on the ship and another 15 have chosen to stay onboard.
Taiwan said it plans to send a chartered flight on Friday to evacuate more than 20 citizens from the ship and Hong Kong will also send an aircraft.
Latest COVID-19 figures
As of Wednesday afternoon, the latest data available, 5,216 people in the UK had been tested for coronavirus, with nine testing positive.
A total of 74,578 cases have been confirmed in mainland China where 2,029 people have died since the virus was detected in December.
Around the world 1,149 cases have been confirmed in every continent, apart from South America and Antarctica.
Eight people have died from the virus outside mainland China.
Two people have died in Hong Kong, two in Iran, one in France, one in the Philippines, one in Taiwan and one in Japan, not including the two from the ship.