Tokyo (AFP)

Sixty-seven new cases of coronavirus were announced on Saturday on the quarantined cruise ship off Japan and the United States plans to evacuate their nationals who are on board.

The result of 217 additional tests made public by the Japanese Minister of Health brings the number of passengers and crew members to whom the presence of the virus has been found to 285, without counting a quarantine officer who had also been infected.

Washington had announced a little earlier Saturday, in a letter addressed to the American passengers of the liner Diamond Princess maintained since the beginning of February in quarantine off Yokohama (south of Tokyo), its intention to evacuate them.

The message evokes the sending of a plane on Sunday, adding that the returnees will have to respect an additional quarantine of 14 days upon their arrival in the United States.

The date of departure of this plane for the United States is not specified but the missive, posted on the website of the United States Embassy in Japan, indicates that it will land at Travis air base, in California.

- Quarantine in the United States -

The Japanese public broadcaster NHK has said that some 400 Americans are on board and that the special aircraft is expected to leave Haneda Airport in Tokyo in the early hours of Monday.

"Passengers will be screened for symptoms and we are working with our Japanese partners to ensure that those with symptoms will receive the necessary care in Japan if they are not fit to fly", can we read.

"If you choose not to board this aircraft, you will not be able to return to the United States for a period of time," said the message.

If many American passengers demanded an evacuation, the additional quarantine imposed in the United States immediately drew criticism from some of them.

"The American government (...) wants us to go out without testing, to fly us to the United States mixed with a bunch of other untested people and then stick us two more weeks of quarantine? Where is the logic in everything that? ", said American cruise ship Matthew Smith in a tweet.

Just over 3,700 people were initially on the ship when it arrived off Yokohama near Tokyo, but the more than 200 people diagnosed with the new coronavirus were hospitalized.

Japanese authorities also began to evacuate some elderly and frail passengers on Friday, whose tests for the new coronavirus were negative.

The quarantine was to last until February 19, 14 days after it started.

- Message from the captain -

But a message broadcast on board by the captain on Saturday cast doubt on this calendar.

"The Japanese government has informed us that it could start a new analysis process for our hosts from February 18," we could hear, the commander added that this operation would take several days and that the results would not be not obtained for about three days.

"So people tested on February 18 and showing a negative result may be able to leave the ship on February 21".

Those who have been in contact with anyone with positive results will have to start their quarantine from the date of this contact, he added.

As for the crew, they will have to start a new quarantine once the passengers have left the boat for an indefinite period of time, according to the message.

In addition to the cruise ship and the infected quarantine officer, the Japanese authorities have recorded at least 40 cases.

The viral pneumonia epidemic has killed more than 1,500 people and infected at least 66,000 in China. It has spread to around 30 other countries.

© 2020 AFP