Quarantine for 2 weeks in Darwin, northern Australia after returning home
Seats to be provided for New Zealand citizens as well
[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The Australian government has decided to deploy a charter flight to evacuate its citizens from the Japanese cruise ship, where new cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) have been emerging daily.
According to Kyodo News on the 17th, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that about 200 Australian citizens aboard the 'Diamond Princess,' docked at Yokohama Port in Japan, will be brought back. It is known that a significant number of the Australian passengers are elderly.
They are scheduled to leave Japan on the 19th by charter flight and be quarantined for 14 days in Darwin, a tropical region in northern Australia. This is because it cannot be guaranteed that the maritime quarantine measures on the Diamond Princess have been thoroughly implemented.
Prime Minister Morrison said, "We fully understand that the passengers and their families may feel disappointed with this policy, but our first duty is to protect the health and safety of Australians living in Australia."
Additionally, the Australian government announced that it will also provide seats on the aircraft for New Zealand citizens aboard the cruise ship. New Zealand passengers are expected to transfer to flights to their home country in Darwin.
Earlier, the U.S. government began evacuating about 400 of its citizens who were aboard the Diamond Princess on the 15th, followed by Canada, Italy, South Korea, and Hong Kong announcing their own evacuation plans.
Currently, a total of 15 people have been confirmed with COVID-19 in Australia, and no secondary infection cases have been confirmed yet.
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