US Citizen evacuation from Diamond Princess (Japan)

UPDATE - 17 February 0500 hours PT - During the flight back to the United States, 14 passengers who had tested positive for Corona Virus (COVID-19) were placed in the isolation unit on board their respect aircraft, separating them from the other passengers. Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and Italy are all working with Japanese authorities to evacuate their citizens from the Diamond Princess.

UPDATE - 16 February 1200 hours PT - 44 Americans traveling on the Diamond Princess tested positive for Corona Virus (COVID-19) and will be quarantined in Japan. The remainder of the Americans who opted to travel via the evacuation flight will be quarantined for 14 days post-arrival in the United States per below.

Today, 16 February, the US Department of State in conjunction with the US Center for Disease Control has sent two charter flights to Yokohama, Japan to evacuate US citizens from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. The ship has served as the global petri dish of Corona Virus (COVID-19) for the past two weeks, as daily numbers of infected passengers and crew continue to grow and now total 355.

In a letter from the U.S. Embassy Tokyo to U.S. passengers, the Embassy outlines the evacuation plan, scheduled for 16 February, travelers are advised that they will be flown to a U.S. military base in California (Travis Air Force Base) and then some will be flown onward to Texas (Lackland Air Force Base) where they will be required to be in quarantine for an additional 14 days.

Letter from US Embassy Tokyo

We reached out to the U.S. Embassy to obtain additional details about the evacuation and learned the following:

• There is no cost to the evacuee taking advantage of this offer from the U.S. government, though onward travel after the quarantine period will be the traveler’s responsibility
• Travelers will be limited to a maximum of 70 pounds of luggage in one or two bags (total weight).
• Travelers may only have one hand-carry and it must fit under a seat, as there are no overhead bins on the chartered aircraft
• Non-US citizen family members will be accommodated
• Passengers will be screened before leaving the ship and monitored and evaluated by medical and public health personnel every step of the way, including before takeoff, during the flight, and after arrival. U.S. Government staff will conduct risk assessments to ensure the health of each traveler, including temperature checks and observation for respiratory symptoms.

Princess Cruises has canceled Diamond Princess cruises through 20 April and has sent out notification to affected passengers.

U.S. citizens aboard the Diamond Princess, hospitalized at local hospitals, as well as their friends and family can continue to reach the U.S. Embassy at [email protected] or at (+81) 03-3224-5000.

NOTE: The author is a share holder in Carnival Corporation, the parent company of Princess Cruises.

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