South Korea to evacuate citizens from cruise ship quarantined in Japan

South Korea announced on February 16 that it would evacuate Koreans that were quarantined on a Coronavirus stricken cruise ship in the Japanese port of Yokohama, according to the reports. This step was taken amid fears after 355 people were found to be infected with the virus.

The Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo briefed that the government has decided to bring the Koreans home if they test negative from thermal screenings to be conducted by the Japanese authorities. The Diamond Princess operated by Carnival Corp has been quarantined since arriving in Yokohama on February 3 after a man who disembarked in Hong Kong before it travelled to Japan was diagnosed with the deadly virus. It was carrying a total of 3,700 passengers and crew on board, as per the reports. 

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Canada to evacuate its citizens

Meanwhile, the Canadian government has said on February 15 that it has chartered a plane to evacuate Canadians on board the cruise ship Diamond Princess quarantined off the Japanese coast. The Japanese authorities had quarantined the cruise ship in Yokohama on February 4 after a previous passenger was tested positive for deadly Coronavirus.

The Canadian government has stated that the Diamond Princess which has nearly 3,700 passengers, includes 255 Canadians. The deadly virus now has killed at least 1,665 in China and more than 68,500 have been infected in China. 

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US all set to evacuate its citizens

On the other hand, US government is also set to evacuate all American citizens from Diamond Princess, the cruise ship which quarantined on the Japanese port since early February, the US embassy in Japan said on Saturday. About 380 Americans are aboard the ship which has been quarantined on Yokohama, a port city near Tokyo. 

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A letter addressed to the passengers, which was posted on the US Embassy's official website read, "The aircraft will arrive in Japan on the evening of February 16. Buses will move you and your belongings from the ship to the aircraft. Passengers will be screened for symptoms and we are working with our Japanese partners to ensure that any symptomatic passengers receive the required care in Japan if they cannot board the flight. The aircraft will land in the United States at Travis Air Force Base in California. Some passengers will then continue onward to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. We will provide information about your final destination prior to boarding the plane." 

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(With Agency Inputs)