Cruise evacuees bound for quarantine

Six New Zealanders evacuated from the coronavirus-stricken cruise ship Diamond Princess were to be back in the country yesterday.

The group were on board an Australian Government-chartered Qantas flight to Darwin, and were due to land at Whenuapai air force base in north Auckland at 7pm, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) confirmed to Stuff.

Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported yesterday that two passengers on the Diamond Princess died from coronavirus.

The passengers were a man and a woman in their 80s, NHK said, who cited an unidentified government source.

The ship, which was berthed at Yokohama, Japan, became a hot-bed for infection – tallying up the highest concentration of the virus outside of mainland China.

Eight of the 11 New Zealanders quarantined on board the ship were initially expected on last night’s flight but two were held back in Japan after testing positive for coronavirus. They are being treated in hospital.

As of Tuesday, 542 cases of the virus had been identified among the 3711 quarantined passengers and crew on the Diamond Princess. Two New Zealanders had already been hospitalised in Japan after contracting the virus.

MFAT confirmed the six Kiwis would be transferred to a New Zealand Government chartered flight( a 13- seat Bombardier Global Express Aircraft) on arrival in Darwin. QF6032 landed in Darwin about midday.

Passengers were to be virus tested by the Australian Medical Assistance Team twice on the flight to Darwin, and again on the ground in Darwin. Any people who exhibited symptoms at any of these screenings would be taken to hospital in Australia, an MFAT spokesperson told Stuff yesterday.

MFAT confirmed all six passengers were cleared to board.

An MFAT official was on hand in Darwin to facilitate the transfer of passengers who passed the screenings to the charter plane.

A paramedic in Darwin was to join the flight to Auckland, and a doctor would also be on board.

Once the flight arrived in Auckland, those on board were to be taken to the Whangapara¯oa military training base to begin their 14-day quarantine.

AP Eleven New Zealanders had been in quarantine on the Diamond Princess cruise ship for two weeks. Six were due to arrive back in Auckland last night to start the 14-day quarantine process all over again.