Passengers stroll alongside the deck of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, on which about 3,600 folks have been quarantined due to fears of the brand new COVID-19 coronavirus.
Charly Triballeau/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
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Charly Triballeau/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
Passengers stroll alongside the deck of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, on which about 3,600 folks have been quarantined due to fears of the brand new COVID-19 coronavirus.
Charly Triballeau/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
Up to date at 12:25 p.m.
The U.S. State Division is sending a constitution aircraft to evacuate Americans aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship that’s in quarantine in Japan due to the unfold of the coronavirus named COVID-19.
On Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo despatched a letter to U.S. residents aboard the ship informing them of the deliberate extraction from Japan scheduled for Sunday evening.
As soon as they’re again within the U.S., all passengers from the cruise ship can be compelled to endure one other interval of quarantine at both Travis Air Drive Base in California or Lackland Air Drive Base in Texas.
“Vacationers returning to the USA from high-risk areas are required to endure quarantine. Accordingly, you’ll need to endure additional quarantine of 14 days whenever you arrive in the USA. We perceive that is irritating and an adjustment, however these measures are in line with the cautious insurance policies we now have instituted to restrict the potential unfold of the illness. We recognize your understanding and cooperation and can present all the help we will to assist the quarantine course of.”
Carol and John Montgomery from San Clemente, Calif., are among the many practically 400 U.S. residents on the Diamond Princess. They are going to be taking the State Division’s constitution aircraft and mentioned they’re “excited and relieved” to return to the U.S.
“We simply did not assume this quarantine is a sound quarantine and we felt it might be a lot safer for us to get off this ship and be quarantined someplace else,” John informed NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro.
After present process 10 days of quarantine on the ship, John mentioned he and Carol really feel high-quality. Regardless of it being “a little bit of a bummer” that they’re going to need to endure 14 extra days of quarantine within the U.S., John mentioned they perceive the precaution.
“As a result of we have been type of combined up with all of the folks on the ship … we perceive why, by means of an abundance of warning, that an extra testing and analysis and quarantine would assure that we’re not bringing it again to the states,” John mentioned.
Practically 300 folks aboard the ship have examined constructive for the virus. One other 67 folks aboard the ship examined constructive for the coronavirus, Japan’s Well being Minister Katsunobu Kato introduced on Saturday.
The quarantine of the cruise ship and its 3,600 passengers is ready to finish Wednesday. However as extra circumstances have been recognized onboard, it is unclear whether or not Japan’s ministry of well being will prolong the quarantine.
If U.S. residents look ahead to the ship’s quarantine to finish and select not take the constitution flight, the State Division mentioned, they “can be unable to return to the USA for a time frame.”
The division mentioned the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention would make a closing determination on when passengers could be allowed to return to the U.S. if they didn’t take the constitution aircraft.
The Division of Well being and Human Providers mentioned in a press release on Saturday that the returning cruise ship passengers “can be housed individually from people already in quarantine from earlier Wuhan repatriation flights.”
All vacationers from Japan can be screened a number of instances throughout the repatriation course of, together with earlier than leaving the ship, earlier than the aircraft takes off, in flight and once more upon arrival within the U.S.
The division added that the danger of publicity and an infection to the coronavirus stays low within the U.S.