Diamond Princess latest: 'All options' on table in race to rescue 80 Brits from coronavirus cruise ship

The UK is leaving us in Japan, say coronavirus ship passengers
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British diplomats are scrambling to get nearly 80 UK citizens off a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship in a Japanese port.

They were “urgently considering all options” including transferring passengers on the Diamond Princess to a Japanese medical facility for 14-day isolation, a UK chartered repatriation flight or a multi-nation response to the crisis.

Fears over the spread of Covid-19 on the liner spiralled this morning as Japan reported 99 more cases, taking the total to 454, including at least three Britons, out of the 3,700 passengers and crew on board.

David Abel, 74, from Oxfordshire, on the ship with his wife Sally, said the latest from the UK Government was that “they consider it best that we go into a medical facility in Japan where we will get the top treatment”.

David Abel, who is on board Diamond Princess with his wife Sally
David Abel

Health experts say that the preferred option to contain the virus is to quarantine people locally as part of efforts to stop its global spread.

Japan has an advanced healthcare system but it is not clear whether it could find a quarantine facility for hundreds of passengers from the ship docked at Yokohama, south of Tokyo.

Ministers are also under pressure to bring home UK citizens after a US repatriation flight landed back in California this morning, followed by another arriving at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.

The quarantined ship Diamond Princess
AP

Australia will evacuate more than 200 of its citizens from the ship, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, with similar flights being arranged by Canada, Hong Kong and Israel.

However, the repatriation moves raised fears that they could actually spread the virus, as 14 out of the 340 US citizens brought home were infected.

They were allowed to fly home in a separate part of a plane as they were not showing symptoms, which is believed to reduce the risk of contagion.

US passengers on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship fly back to the United States
via REUTERS

In a video on Facebook, Mr Abel said: “We understand the latest information from the UK is they have been tirelessly working... and they consider it best that we go into a medical facility in Japan.”

Voicing anger at such a move, he added: “They have made it clear, what they intend to do, going to leave it to the hands of Japan.

Ahead of high-level talks in Whitehall on the Diamond Princess, the British Embassy in Tokyo tweeted: “We are considering all options to guarantee the health and safety of the British people on board the #DiamondPrincess in line with latest advice from the Chief Medical Officer and the Who.”

There are 78 British citizens, including around 20 crew, on the ship which has been under quarantine since February 3. Richard Branson stepped into the repatriation row after being urged to intervene to help the Abels.

He tweeted: “@VirginAtlantic does not fly to Japan but we are in discussions with the government and seeing if there is anything we can do.”

Separately, authorities around the world were racing to track hundreds of passengers on the Westerdam cruise ship after it was allowed to disembark them in Cambodia and then an American woman who was on board tested positive after arriving in Malaysia.

The cruise ship MS Westerdam at dock in the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville
REUTERS

The cruise line said none of the other 1,454 passengers and 802 crew had reported any symptoms. “Guests who have already returned home will be contacted by their local health department and be provided further information,” a statement said.

British officials were contacting citizens to advise them to self-isolate if they develop symptoms of a cough, fever or shortness of breath, and to call the health authorities.

Across mainland China, officials said the total number of coronavirus cases rose by 2,048 to 70,548 yesterday, a bigger increase than the previous day, but the daily death toll fell to 105, with the total fatalities now at 1,770.

Health experts believe the figures are inaccurate and that far more people have been infected, from which 98 per cent or more are expected to recover.

Outside China, more than 500 infections have been confirmed, mostly in people who travelled from Chinese cities, with five deaths — in Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan and France.

Health officials in Britain are to tell schools that they do not need to close or send staff and pupils home if someone had come into contact with an individual with coronavirus.

The guidance comes a week after at least seven schools in Brighton, Hove and Eastbourne were understood to have told parents that either a staff member or pupil has been advised to stay at home for 14 days by PHE.

So far 3,109 tests for coronavirus have been carried out in the UK, with nine positive results.

Eight out of the nine victims have been discharged from hospital.

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