The U.S. will rescue more than 400 American citizens aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, quarantined in a Japanese port after more than 200 passengers tested positive for the coronavirus.
The ship has been held in quarantine since Feb. 3 with more than 3,700 passengers on board. Of those, 218 have tested positive for what is now being called covid-19; 428 of the 3,700 are Americans.
The U.S. citizens on the ship all received an email from the U.S. embassy in Tokyo advising them of the plan.
"The aircraft will arrive in Japan the evening of (Sunday) Feb. 16," the email said. "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."
According to NBC News, the plane would land at Travis Air Force Base in California and some passengers would then continue on to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.
But they are not completely free yet.
"Travelers returning to the United States from high-risk areas are required to undergo quarantine. Accordingly, you will need to undergo further quarantine of 14 days when you arrive in the United States," the email stated.
Those who decline to participate in the rescue can remain on the ship, but they face not only an undetermined time frame of when the Diamond Princess will be released from quarantine but also when they can return to the United States.
According to officials in China, where the virus began in the Wuhan Province, 66,493 people have been infected with covid-19 and 1,523 have died.
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