Canadian Plane With Cruise Ship Evacuees Departs Tokyo - Foreign Minister

TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st February, 2020) A Canadian flight with evacuees from the novel coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship has departed Tokyo's Haneda Airport, Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a statement.

"The Canadian flight departing Tokyo is wheels up. More information to follow," Champagne said via Twitter on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Canada's top diplomat told reporters that 256 Canadians were on board the ship currently quarantined in the Port of Yokohama, of which 47 have tested positive for the COVID-19 and are being treated at local hospitals.

Passengers on the manifest were screened for symptoms of the virus prior to boarding and only those who are asymptomatic were allowed to proceed, according to the government.

The aircraft will bring passengers to Canadian Forces Base Trenton, after which they will be assessed and transported to the NAV Canada Training Institute in Cornwall, Ontario, to undergo a further 14-day period of quarantine - the maximum incubation period of the virus, Global Affairs Canada said in a statement.

The Diamond Princess cruise liner was placed under quarantine after a passenger who left the vessel in Hong Kong tested positive for the novel coronavirus. A total of 3,711 passengers and crew are aboard the vessel. So far, 621 people have tested positive for the virus.

The current death toll from the deadly epidemic has exceeded 2,100 people, with over 75,000 others being infected worldwide. Meanwhile, more than 16,000 patients have fully recovered.