Two charter flights carrying American evacuees from the Diamond Princess cruise ship returned to the United States, and 14 of those on board tested positive for the coronavirus.
More than 300 people were removed from the ship, which had been quarantined in Japan for over 10 days, Sunday and arrived at Travis Air Force Base in California and Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas that night and early Monday. Among those on board, 14 U.S. citizens tested positive for the mysterious virus in the days before the evacuation process, and officials were notified after they had disembarked the vessel.
The infected passengers were moved to a separate containment area on the planes and were monitored in isolation during travel.
“After consultation with HHS officials, including experts from the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, the State Department made the decision to allow the 14 individuals, who were in isolation, separated from other passengers, and continued to be asymptomatic, to remain on the aircraft to complete the evacuation process,” the Departments of State and Health and Human Services said.
Prior to the flights landing, the U.S. had confirmed 15 cases of the coronavirus as the outbreak continues to sweep throughout China and reaches other parts of the world. U.S. officials had previously said that around 40 U.S. citizens aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship tested positive while the boat was quarantined. It is unclear whether those people were evacuated or not.
Since the outbreak began in the Chinese city of Wuhan, more than 1,600 people have died from the infection in mainland China, while four outside of the country have died from it. A top U.S. health official warned Sunday that the illness is “on the verge” of becoming a “global pandemic.”
