Irish passengers are among those quarantined in Japan due to Coronavirus on a cruise ship.
The Diamond Princess cruise ship has been quarantined in Japan following the outbreak of Coronavirus on board. The vessel has been in port off Yokohama for the past fortnight with many passengers trapped on board because of the Coronavirus.
Tokyo based journalist David MacNeill reports that the Department of Foreign Affairs say that there is at least one Irish couple on the ship. Plans are in place to get them taken off the vessel.
The USA has already taken around 380 US citizens from the cruise liner. Forty US citizens on board were infected with the virus and have been transferred to local hospitals. Australia, Canada, Hong Kong and Italy are also planning to remove citizens from the ship. The news that governments are to take their citizens off the ship confirms that Japanese authority's plans to quarantine them have been abandoned.
Passengers removed from the Diamond Princess will face a period in quarantine once they returned to their home country. US citizens, for example, face two weeks in quarantine back in America.
Anybody that comes off the boat faces another trial. They won't just be able to go home.
This episode of 'Morning Ireland' was broadcast on 17 February 2020. The presenter is Gavin Jennings.
