Australia is preparing to evacuate 200 citizens on board the Diamond Princess to Darwin as another 70 passengers were confirmed as infected with coronavirus.
The National Security Committee of Cabinet held talks on Sunday about how to evacuate the remaining passengers under quarantine and will announce plans shortly on how the Australians are likely to be evacuated from Yokohama within the next 48 hours.
Diamond Princess is now the epicentre of the biggest outbreak of the virus outside of China, with 355 passengers on board who have tested positive, including 24 Australians, taken to Japanese hospitals for treatment.
It’s likely a charter flight will be used to transport the passengers who have not tested positive to Darwin, where they will be quarantined for another fortnight and kept under medical supervision.
Government sources have told The New Daily that Christmas Island is not the likely destination, but the workers camp near Darwin at Howard Springs is being considered, partly because it has better access to fresh fruit and vegetables and better wi-fi while passengers are confined.
A senior Australian Medical Assistance Teams (AUSMAT) officer will board the cruise ship on Monday to assess conditions in preparation for evacuation.
Australian officials also emailed passengers on board confirming evacuation plans were being actively considered.
“You may have already seen the news that the US government is planning to assist US passengers on the Diamond Princess to return to the United States in the coming days,” the email said.
“We understand the US Embassy will send out information to US passengers on the ship about their plans shortly.”
“The Australian government is also examining options to assist Australians on board the ship. We will contact you again as soon as any decision is taken.
“We understand this is a very stressful situation for you on the ship. Please be assured we are working hard to assist all Australian passengers and your welfare is our paramount concern.”
Currently, there are already 266 people in quarantine at the Howard Springs facility near Darwin.
Australia’s deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly said the AUSMAT officer will assess those on board to help determine the next steps.
“We will be looking at the health and welfare of that group and what might be best done with a view to getting them off the ship,” Professor Kelly told reporters in Canberra on Saturday.
“We wait for our expert to be on the ground to assess what is the best option for those Australians.”
Official announcement: American disembarkation to begin at 9:00 pm — in just over 4 hours. Detailed instructions to be provided upon final verification by the Embassy. Luggage to be placed outside stateroom by 6:00 pm, including excess luggage
— Matthew Smith (@mjswhitebread) February 16, 2020
Official announcement from the captain with Japanese health official in attendance: We will be tested soon, and if we test negative we will be allowed to disembark the ship beginning on the 19th. #TokyoHereWeCome
— Matthew Smith (@mjswhitebread) February 16, 2020
The US began the evacuation of its citizens overnight and Hong Kong is arranging a chartered flight to take its residents home free of charge.
At home, a risk assessment of every cruise ship arrival into Sydney is now being conducted under the supervision of the state’s chief human biosecurity officer and the chief health officer.
The likely evacuation of the Australians on board the Diamond Princess neatly coincides with the departure of more than 200 Australians who have been quarantined on Christmas Island for two weeks.
No quarantined Australians at Christmas Island and Darwin have tested positive for the virus, with the first group of evacuees due to return home on Monday.
The post Plans under way to evacuate Australians from <i>Diamond Princess</i> appeared first on The New Daily.
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