Japan Confirms 78 More Coronavirus Cases, Including Dozens on Cruise Ship
Countries around the world are taking measures to stem the spread of the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, as the death toll continues to rise.
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Nepal Evacuates 175 Citizens from Wuhan Following Protests
Nepal on Sunday evacuated 175 of its nationals from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of a coronavirus outbreak, an official said, after protests by parents of students studying in the city.
A plane operated by state-owned Nepal Airlines carrying 134 men and 41 women, mostly students, landed at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport before dawn, Health Minisitry spokesman Mahendra Shrestha said.
All evacuees will be held in quarantine for two weeks in the nearby town of Bhaktapur.
“They will be under the close observation of doctors in quarantine and will be allowed to join their families if found healthy after two weeks,” Shrestha told Reuters.
Last week parents protested in front of the Health Ministry demanding that Nepali students in Wuhan be brought home sooner. The government said delays were due to the time needed to prepare buildings to keep the returnees in quarantine.
Nepal has only one confirmed case of coronavirus so far.
Nepali students (L) who were repatriated from Wuhan, China arrive at the Tribhuvan International airport in Kathmandu on Feb. 16, 2020. (PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP via Getty Images)One More Briton Tests Positive in France
The latest case of the novel coronavirus in France involves a Briton who had stayed in a chalet in the Les Contamines-Montjoie resort, AFP reported on Saturday, citing local health authorities.
Last week, five UK citizens, including a 9-year-old child, tested positive for the virus after having stayed at the same lodge.
Currently, France has 12 known cases of coronavirus and聽one death involving an 80-year-Chinese tourist from Hubei province, the epicenter of the virus outbreak.
French citizens leave The Vacanciel Holiday Resort in Carry-le-Rouet, near Marseille, southern France on early Feb. 14, 2020, where they spent 14 days in quarantine after their repatriation from Wuhan, China, from where the novel coronavirus has spread. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)Hong Kong, Canada to Evacuate Nationals Aboard Diamond Princess
The Hong Kong government will send aircraft to Japan to bring back passengers from the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess, where the most coronavirus infections outside China have occurred.
In a statement late on Saturday, the Security Bureau said chartered flights would return Hong Kong residents to the city for free once Japanese authorities had confirmed the plan.
The passengers will be required to undergo a further 14 days of quarantine after arriving in Hong Kong, the bureau added.
There are around 330 Hong Kong residents on board, including 260 holding Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong passports and roughly 70 people with foreign ones.
Canada has also announced that it will organize an evacuation flight for Canadians aboard the cruise ship on Saturday.
“This decision was taken because of the extraordinary circumstances faced by passengers on the聽Diamond Princess聽and to lighten the burden on the Japanese health-care system,” read a statement from the foreign ministry. “We are working closely with Carnival Cruise Lines and the government of Japan to assist in this evacuation.
“Before boarding [the evacuation flight] in Japan, passengers will be screened for symptoms,” it said. “Those who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 will not be permitted to board and will instead be transferred to the Japanese health system to receive appropriate care.”
Evacuees will be transported to the NAV Canada Training Institute in Cornwall, Ontario, and stay for another 14-day quarantine period, the foreign ministry said.
Hong Kong and Canada join the United States and potentially Australia in evacuation efforts to manage the聽COVID-19 outbreak onboard the cruise ship.
The cruise liner’s 14-day quarantine is set to end on Wednesday.
The cruise ship Diamond Princess, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, is seen at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan on Feb. 10, 2020. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)Tokyo Reports 8 New Infections
Eight people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Japan’s capital city of Tokyo, local newspaper Japan Times reported on Saturday, citing local government officials.
Among the eight, seven had come in contact with an infected taxi driver, who tested positive for the virus on Thursday.
Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun reported on Thursday that the taxi driver might have picked up a Chinese passenger, citing local health authorities.
The eighth person reported to have the virus on Saturday is a businessman in his 40s. The man did not travel to China recently.
Outside of Tokyo, there was another confirmed case of coronavirus at Saiseikai Arida Hospital, which is located in the town of Yuasa in Wakayama Prefecture, bringing the total number of cases at that hospital to three.
The case involves a surgeon in his 50s, local outlet NHK reported on Saturday. At the same hospital, one doctor and one patient have already tested positive for the virus.
Currently, Japan has 43 known cases of coronavirus.
In this Feb. 13, 2020, photo, a vendor wears a mask while writing calligraphy for customers in Yokohama’s Chinatown, near Tokyo. (Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)South Korea,聽Singapore Report New Infections
South Korea鈥檚 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Sunday one new case of the novel coronavirus, bringing the country鈥檚 total to 29.
The new case is an 82-year-old South Korean national who has no recent travel history outside of the country.
In Singapore, the country鈥檚 total known cases of coronavirus now stands at 72 after the local Ministry of Health announced five new cases on Saturday.
None of the new patients have recently traveled to China.
Among the five, three are Singaporean nationals, aged 79, 27, and 25; one is a 26-year-old Bangladeshi national; and the last one is a 40-year-old Chinese national. The two non-Singaporeans have a local work pass.
Of the three Singaporeans nationals, two are family members of the country鈥檚 66th confirmed case, the other is someone who has come into contact with the 66th case.
Singapore鈥檚 66th confirmed case involves a 28-year-old Singaporean national who also has no recent travel history to China.
The Bangladeshi patient is among five confirmed cases from a local construction site.
The 40-year-old Chinese national had come in contact with the country鈥檚 59th confirmed case, who is a 61-year-old Singaporean national who has not recently traveled to China.
A health officer (L) screens arriving passengers from China at Changi International airport in Singapore on Jan. 22, 2020. (Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images)70 New Infections Detected on Cruise Ship in Japan
Japan鈥檚 Health Minister Katsunobu Kato, announced 70 more cases of the novel coronavirus聽COVID-19 on cruise ship Diamond Prince, bringing the total number of people infected while on the ship to 355, local outlet NHK reported on Sunday.
The ship, which has been quarantined in Japan since Feb. 4, is currently docked in Yokohama.
On Saturday, Japan鈥檚 Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it was working with the U.S. government to organize chartered evacuation flights for around 400 U.S. citizens and their family members still quarantined on the ship.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, American passengers and crew have been notified that one chartered aircraft is due to arrive in Japan on Sunday evening.
Japan’s聽Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday said it appreciated the U.S. government’s efforts to ease Japan鈥檚 burden regarding the situation on the Diamond Princess.
An emergency worker in protective clothing drives an ambulance carrying a person diagnosed with COVID-19 in Yokohama, Japan on Feb. 13, 2020. (Carl Court/Getty Images)For updates from Feb. 15, click聽here.
Frank Fang, Melanie Sun, and Reuters contributed to this report.
This article is from the Internet:Coronavirus Live Updates: Nepal Evacuates 175 Citizens from Wuhan Following Protests
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