TOKYO (Reuters) – Hundreds of passengers were preparing to be evacuated from a cruise ship on Sunday after spending two weeks under quarantine off Japan over the coronavirus, with Americans expected to begin flying home on chartered planes as soon as Sunday evening.
Seventy more people were confirmed with the virus on board the Diamond Princess on Sunday, bringing the number of cases from the ship to 355, the most anywhere outside China.
Canada, South Korea, Hong Kong and Italy have followed the United States in announcing flights to bring home their citizens from the ship, which has been under quarantine since Feb. 3.
Countries have said passengers should be symptom-free to board the flights, and are likely to face quarantine on arrival.
An announcement from the captain blared over loudspeakers on Sunday, informing American guests who were willing to disembark that they were scheduled to leave from 9 p.m. (1200 GMT)
“Leaving in a few hours. No details. Might be going to Texas or…
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