Pressure builds to rescue virus cruise Britons

MINISTERS are under growing pressure to evacuate 74 Britons from a virus- stricken cruise ship after infections surged by nearly 100 in one day.

A total 454 passengers and crew out of the original 3,700 have tested positive for coronavirus.

The Diamond Princess is berthed in Yokohama Bay in Japan under a two-week quarantine – which is likely to be extended after the number of cases soared in just ten days. Yesterday alone, Japanese authorities confirmed 99 cases. The US evacuated 340 Americans off the liner on Sunday and Australia is planning to repatriate its own citizens tomorrow.

But a No 10 spokesman refused to commit to doing the same for the Britons. They said: ‘We are urgently considering all options to guarantee the health and safety of those on board.’

Foreign Office officials are worried that the ship’s quarantine measures are ineffective, causing the disease to spread so rapidly. But they are also concerned that repatriation could spark another coronavirus outbreak in the UK.

Guidelines from the World Health Organisation suggest countries should not fly passengers back if they are at risk of infection.

But the apparent dithering by the Government has dismayed families.

Sally Abel, from Woodford Halse in Oxfordshire – on board with her husband David – said that watching the American passengers leave did ‘get to her’. In a video posted online yesterday, she said: ‘I realise why, but they put up a YouTube film of them going down the stairs, walking outside, being greeted by the American people outside there. That did get to me a bit.’

Yesterday, billionaire businessman Richard Branson suggested that his airline could fly the 74 Britons home.

He tweeted: ‘Virgin Atlantic 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.’