Diamond Princess captain: ‘Today is the day you’ve been waiting for…’
Passengers have begun to disembark from the Diamond Princess after the two-week quarantine of the coronavirus-hit ship came to an end.
Earlier today, the ship’s captain made a public announcement on the ship saying: "For some, today is the day you’ve been waiting for."
The Foreign Office said it is trying to charter a flight home for the 74 British nationals who were among the 3,700-plus people who were stranded while the ship was forced to remain off the coast of Japan.
However, it said there is a chance that people who disembark will not be able to join the evacuation flight. British passenger David Abel said he ‘can’t see there is any way’ that he and his wife Sally will be on the flight after they were diagnosed with COVID-19. In his latest Facebook update, he confirmed an English-speaking doctor had assured him that although he and Sally felt well they both had the coronavirus.
He said the couple were going to be taken to a hostel for a few days then transferred to a hospital once there is space.
Two other Brits onboard are among the 540-plus passengers and crew to have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, or COVID-19.
Earlier this week Mr Abel made a public appeal to the British government to rescue passengers from the ship, and although he is unlikely to be on the rescue flight home, Mr Abel said ‘he had done his job’.
In a statement, the Foreign Office said it would charter a flight back to the UK from Tokyo.
"We hope the flight will be later this week, subject to permissions from the Japanese authorities," a spokesman said last night.
"We have the utmost concern for the affected Britons and strongly encourage them to register for the evacuation flight."
Around 500 passengers are expected to leave the ship today, and the evacuation process should be complete by Friday.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026