Richard Branson ‘in talks’ with Govt over bringing Diamond Princess Brits home
Sir Richard Branson has tweeted that he has been talking to the UK Government about bringing 74 British passengers and crew on board Diamond Princess back home.
The Virgin founder was responding to a social media plea by passenger David Abel, who asked him to step in.
He tweeted: "@VirginAtlantic does not fly to Japan, but we are in discussions with the UK government and seeing if there is anything we can do to help."
Mr Abel and his wife Sally have since been confirmed with the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, ministers have said they are ‘considering all options’ to repatriate the British people on board.
More than 450 people on board the ship have now been diagnosed with the illness.
Pressure is mounting on the Government to take action, as British passengers on board say they feel abandoned.
The US authorities have repatriated more than 300 American citizens off the ship, 14 of whom tested positive for the virus before getting on the plane, but were allowed to travel in isolation from the other passengers. All others will stay in quarantine for 14 days in the US.
Other countries including Canada, Australia, Italy, South Korea and Israel have all made plans to evacuate their citizens from the ship.
Mr Abel described Sir Richard as ‘the guy who could resolve this for the Brits’.
A Downing Street spokesman said: "We sympathise with all those caught up in this extremely difficult situation.
"The Foreign Office are in contact with the British people on board the Diamond Princess including to establish interest on a possible repatriation flight."
Latest figures reveal over 71,000 people have now caught the virus and 1,775 have died. China reported 2,048 new cases on Monday.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports