Coronavirus: Evacuation plane carrying Britons from quarantined cruise ship lands in UK

British passengers who were on board a repatriation flight from the coronavirus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan have arrived at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral to be quarantined for 14 days.

After landing at a Ministry of Defence base in Wiltshire, the 30 British and two Irish evacuees were driven off in coaches alongside hazmat suit-clad medical professionals, escorted by police and ambulance vehicles.

One passenger was pictured making a heart sign with her hands while another gave an OK signal through the coach windows as they pulled up in Merseyside.

Their return to the UK comes after spending over two weeks stuck in quarantine off the port of Yokohama aboard the ship, home to the largest outbreak outside of China.

“There was a lot of preparation that went in for our Wuhan guests who successfully left and had been really appreciative of the support and help that we provided,” said the chief executive of Wirral Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, Janelle Holmes.

“That has given us a blueprint for building on that for the new arrival of guests.

“I was pleased for the staff and partners who had spent such lot of time making sure their stay was as comfortable as possible and clearly I think because we did such a good job we were asked to support this group of travellers that are coming back from a cruise in Japan.

“The group of people is slightly different. Obviously they have come from a cruise ship rather than from their own homes over in China but we are working exactly the same as we did before with the healthcare professionals and Public Health England to make sure they are safe, well managed and comfortable while they are with us.”

Ms Holmes praised the support of the local community in Wirral, whose schools and scout groups made donations for evacuees. She also thanked staff previously living in the quarantine accommodation blocks for their patience while they stay in nearby hotels.

“We are following all the new local and regional guidance on managing this group of residents for the period that they are with us and we have got a significant number of health professionals working alongside us both outside and inside the building,” she said.

“I just wanted to say too that for all the local residents and patients that use our services, the hospital is still open.

“We want to encourage people to come and make sure they don’t miss their appointments and that they feel safe to come on site. It’s a separate building from the rest of the hospital and is completely self-contained.”

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement after the flight landed: “We have brought 32 British and European citizens safely home from Japan. The FCO worked hard to get them back to the UK securely.

“Our number one priority has consistently been the health and safety of UK nationals.”

The four Britons on board the Diamond Princess who have recently tested positive for coronavirus were not on the flight.

One couple, Sally and David Abel, from Northamptonshire, were on the cruise for their 50th wedding anniversary.

Since being diagnosed with the coronavirus, they have both contracted pneumonia. While originally taken to a “lovely hospital”, their family said they have now been moved to a “prison”-like hospital.

While stuck onboard the ship, Mr Abel, who identifies as a “staunch Tory”, criticised Boris Johnson’s response to the crisis, saying he had “no confidence” in the prime minister.

Around the world, more cases and deaths have been reported, including the second coronavirus patient to die in Italy after a patient succumbed to the virus on Friday night.

Italy’s Ansa news agency cited healthcare sources in confirming the second death on Saturday.

South Korea’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than double the number of cases in the country since Friday to 433.

The surge in cases, which has made it the largest cluster outside mainland China, was believed to originate from a 61-year-old woman who attended four services in a religious sect before testing positive for the virus.

In Iran, health authorities confirmed a fifth death from the virus on Saturday and said the fataility was from 10 newly confirmed cases.

Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour, who made the announcement on state TV, said two of the newly detected cases were found in the capital of Tehran and the other eight were in the city of Qom.

The World Health Organisation’s director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Saturday it was concerned about the number of coronavirus cases with no clear epidemiological link.

Cases without clear links include those with no travel history to China or contact with a confirmed case, he told a briefing.

He also called the reported decline in new cases in China welcome news but urged caution, adding: “It is far too early to make predictions about this outbreak.

“Our biggest concern continues to be the potential for Covid-19 to spread in countries with weaker health systems.”

Additional reporting by agencies