Coronavirus: Passengers and crew leave Diamond Princess as quarantine ends

  19 February 2020    Read: 1568
Coronavirus: Passengers and crew leave Diamond Princess as quarantine ends

The Foreign Office is hopeful affected Britons will be able to get a flight back to the UK later this week.

Hundreds of people who have been stuck on board a coronavirus-hit cruise ship for two weeks are being allowed to disembark.

The controversial quarantine on the Diamond Princess has now ended - and over the past fortnight, more than 540 passengers and crew have fallen ill with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

About 500 people are going to be allowed to leave the ship on Wednesday, and about 2,000 others will be gradually evacuated between now and Friday.

The ship is currently moored off the coast of Yokohama in Japan, and the Foreign Office is hopeful that affected Britons will be able to get a flight back to the UK later this week.

Officials have warned British passengers and crew that they may not be able to get on the plane if they leave the ship - and that they will need to complete another 14 days of isolation when they land in Britain.

Vicki Presland, an Australian tourist on board the Diamond Princess, has said she is "very keen to get off this ship" after being confined to her cabin.

Passengers who have tested negative for the coronavirus and have no symptoms have had to get their body temperature checked before they are allowed to disembark.


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