British tourist David Abel and his wife test positive for coronavirus on board cruise ship where he has been providing the world with updates throughout their quarantine
- David and Sally Abel are among 169 new patients on the ship in the last 48 hours
- They will now be taken to a mainland hospital and face a further quarantine
- UK government said today it is ‘working to organise a flight’ for stranded Britons
British cruise ship passenger David Abel and his wife Sally have today tested positive for coronavirus in Japan.
The two British tourists are among 169 people confirmed to have the virus over the last 48 hours, taking the total on board the ship to more than 500.
They will now be taken to hospital on the mainland just a day before their lockdown on board the Diamond Princess was due to end.
‘We have been proved positive and leaving for hospital soon. Blessings all,’ said Mr Abel as he revealed his diagnosis today.
The 74-year-old has been providing regular updates from on board the ship but said there would now be a ‘time of quiet’.
The UK government said today it was ‘working to organise a flight back to the UK’ for British passengers but it is unclear whether Mr and Mrs Abel will now be eligible.
British cruise ship passenger David Abel and his wife Sally (pictured in their cabin on the Diamond Princess) have tested positive for coronavirus in Japan
Mr Abel had been leading calls for the UK to organise a repatriation after the US pulled out its citizens and other countries lined up rescue flights.
The two Britons were among 3,711 people taken into quarantine when the ship arrived in Yokohama two weeks ago.
Passengers have been confined to their cabins amid a spiralling number of cases which has sparked growing criticism of Japanese authorities.
More than 1,800 people have now been screened for the virus with more than 500 of them testing positive.
After growing frustration from British passengers, the UK embassy in Tokyo said today it was hastily arranging a repatriation flight.
‘Given the conditions on board, we are working to organise a flight back to the UK for British nationals on the Diamond Princess as soon as possible,’ they said.
‘Our staff are contacting British nationals on board to make the necessary arrangements.’
South Korea will send a presidential aircraft on Tuesday to fly back four nationals and one Japanese spouse, an official told reporters.
There are 14 South Koreans on board in total, but the other ten have declined to be evacuated from the ship because they live in Japan, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Early Monday, more than 300 Americans were evacuated from the ship, among them over a dozen who have tested positive for the virus.
The two British tourists are among 169 people confirmed to have the virus over the last 48 hours, taking the total on board the Diamond Princess (pictured) to more than 500
The Americans, like citizens from other countries being evacuated from ship, will have to undergo another 14-day quarantine.
Canada said Tuesday it had ‘secured a chartered flight to repatriate Canadians on board the Diamond Princess’ but gave no details on when the process would take place.
There were 256 Canadians on board the ship, with 32 so far testing positive for the virus.
While foreign governments have couched their decision to remove citizens as an attempt to reduce the burden on Japanese authorities, many have interpreted the evacuations as criticism of Tokyo’s handling of the situation.
The US and Australia have told citizens that if they decline repatriation and an additional 14-day quarantine, they will not be allowed home for at least two weeks, suggesting they do not believe the ship-based quarantine has worked.