U.S. Will Evacuate Americans From Cruise Ship Quarantined in Japan Americans on the Diamond Princess

[herding cats]

Source: NYT

Americans on the Diamond Princess were told by the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo that a plane would be ready on Sunday to take them to the United States.

YOKOHAMA, Japan — The United States will evacuate Americans from the cruise ship that has been quarantined for more than a week in Japan because of coronavirus infections on board, the United States Embassy in Tokyo told Americans aboard the ship on Saturday.

A chartered flight will arrive on Sunday for those who want to return to the United States, according to a letter from the embassy emailed to American passengers and crew members. Hundreds of Americans are on the ship.

“We recognize this has been a stressful experience, and we remain dedicated to providing all the support we can and seeing you safely and expeditiously reunited with family and friends in the United States,” the letter read.

Buses will move Americans and their belongings from the ship to the chartered plane, and the evacuees will be screened for symptoms before boarding, the letter read. The plane will land at Travis Air Force Base in California. Some passengers will then continue onward to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/15/world/asia/japan-cruise-ship-coronavirus.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

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I realize some will disagree with me, but about damn time!

Immoral quarantines such as this have zero place in a responsible international response to a viral threat. I'm personally happy to see the US finally respond to the needs of our citizens like responsible adults.

It's a virus. We won't contain it. We can just slow it's spread, but we can be prepared to manage it. Understanding, not irrational fear, is what's needed now.

[5X]

1. and what will thet do with Iranian or Hispanic americans? n/t

[herding cats]

2. Seriously?

Since neither Iran nor any Hispanic country has had any cases of COVID-19 to date, this comment is ridiculous to my eyes.

Let's worry about our Asian Americans who are currently being actively discriminated against at the moment. Ok?

[5X]

3. this is dotard's america, ICE will meet the plane.

[herding cats]

5. M'kay.

As it has the rest of the planes filled with evacuees.

Hyperbole doesn't help anyone.

Toodles!

[denbot]

11. It's not hyperbole.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have had to of heard American citizens, with proper identification, have been detained, interrogated, and in some cases deported.

[5X]

4. Of course its ridiculous, but don't blame me, blame dotard.

[herding cats]

6. I blame local systemic racism for the racist anti-Asian bullshit I'm seeing...

Your accusation is just random made up silliness with zero basis in fact.

Edited to for clarity.

[Blues Heron]

10. I get what your saying

It's similar to my thought about how jarring it is to see the people being housed and fed in nice warm housing for several weeks because they might have a virus, while homeless people in our cities are left to fend for themselves and die at the bustop of hypothermia. It's just plain jarring as hell.

If homelessness were contagious, they would have solved it yesterday.

Same here - our Iranian americans and Hispanic americans are being detained and abused by utterly racist ICE goons, and here the gov is bending over backwards to whisk these people INTO our country. So what about the Iranian americans on the boat or the hispanics - Quarantine, then deport? Nice comfy quarantine, then two weeks later off to a freezing tent by the border?

[catsudon]

16. those are isolated cases and right now it is not the time to care about that

the virus does not care if you're liberal or conservative. worry about the virus is not racist or overreacting

even the Chinese people are discriminating Wuhan people on a daily basis.
Japanese shops have signs that forbid Chinese people to enter.

I'm Asian and I was actually quite happy we shutdown the border so fast.

How are the chinese people handling this is the USA? well you know that Japan still have not closed their borders, and all the chinese tourist went in to purchase all the masks, so they have a shortage now? Japan had a misstep and followed WHO instead of USA's CDC. They are paying for it now.

You think I'm joking? if you're in the LA area, my relatives and friends are telling me they have to look for masks

[Sancho]

7. Reporting on CNN: When they return to the US they will be quarantined again!

Two more weeks at US military bases. Some passengers are refusing to leave on the US chartered plane...so that when the Japanese release them (5 more days?) they can return home commercially.

What a mess!?

[5X]

8. I'm much more worried about kids in cages than a few dozen americans

being held on a cruise ship.

[BlueMTexpat]

9. Absolutely this.

Especially when, if they just wait things out, they'll likely be better off.

[samnsara]

12. those poor people esp the ones in the cabins with no windows..

..i have cruised on the Westerdam which I believe is one of those ships that are being refused any port. I always save up and stay in a suite on board..I could hang out in that suite for a week or so! It was nice..with a wrap around private balcony. Plus Holland lets us bring our own wine, pop and water aboard. I would have had a cooler of wine to keep me healthy (happy) and at least able to step out for some fresh air.

So whenever you cruise... stay in a room you want to be quarantined in!

[Lefta Dissenter]

13. Did you see that Australian couple

On the Diamond Princess, an Australian couple who had one of the cushy cabins with the balcony had two cases of wine delivered by drone to their balcony!

I feel so incredibly bad for the people who are in those inner cabins without so much as a window. I’m sure many of them saved their last dollars to go on that cruise, thinking that they’d spend so little time in their cabin that it wouldn’t make that much of a difference. And I’m guessing (based on no data whatsoever) that more of the people getting sick are those in the inner cabins - with no outside air, only recirculated viral air. Just another example of how those with $$ are more likely to have positive outcomes.

[Lefta Dissenter]

14. Oh, and

Cambodia finally allowed the Westerdam to dock at their port.

[Lefta Dissenter]

15. I disagree.

you said “about damn time,” when in reality, it’s about effing time!!!

[ripcord]

17. They are just going to return to quarentine in the US (NT)

[soryang]

18. There was a US doctor on the Diamond Princess

He apparently talked directly to US health officials about the planned evacuation to make some changes, that otherwise could have had unfavorable results.

Hopland, who said he's extensively studied the 1918 flu pandemic that infected 500 million and killed 50 million people around the world, called that idea the most concerning point of his experience so far.

"The plan was to, on [Feb. 19], release all the American citizens from the ship to get on commercial aviation," he said. "They're creating a whole cadre of Typhoid Mary's and then launching them to the United States."

That plan has since been abandoned, and Roe said health officials on the Wednesday call agreed the embassy had "gotten out in front of themselves."

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/14/escaping-the-coronavirus-petri-dish-doctor-lawmakers-seek-evacuations-from-quarantined-cruise-115143