(Fighting new crown pneumonia) British citizens of "Diamond Princess" return to Britain
China News Agency, London, February 23rd. Thirty British people trapped in the "Princess Diamond" at Yokohama Terminal in Japan flew back to Britain on the 22nd.
According to British media BBC reports, the British passengers who have been quarantined on the cruise ship for 16 days, left Tokyo by plane on the evening of the 21st and landed at Boscombe Air Force Base, Department of Defense, Wiltshire, UK on the 22nd. So far, they have tested negative for the new coronavirus Covid-19.
Immediately, they took a coach to Arrowwell Park Hospital in Wirral district for a 14-day quarantine check. The hospital was used to isolate British citizens who were withdrawn from Wuhan, China last month and earlier this month.
It is reported that when Diamond Princess was isolated 16 days ago, there were about 78 British on board. In addition to the British passengers, some British passengers have flown to Hong Kong last week, some have been confirmed to be infected with the virus in Japan, and some British citizens remain on the cruise as cruise crew members.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said that the British Foreign Office has "struggled" to make passengers "safely return to Britain" and "our priority has always been the health and safety of British citizens."
At the same time, the British National Health Service (NHS) is working on a plan to test a new type of coronavirus in the home of suspected infections if the outbreak begins to spread in the UK. Pilot work for the plan has been launched in London, and a team of related medical staff is conducting testing. The health department intends to extend the plan to areas outside London in the coming weeks. (Finish)