US to fly home Americans stuck on quarantined ship in Japan

Peoria, IL, USA 1470 & 100.3 WMBD

Feb 15, 2020 | 8:47 AM

A Japanese flag with a message reading "Lack of medicine!" and a banner reading "Thank you Media" hang from the cruise ship Diamond Princess as it anchors off in quarantine in the Yokohama Port Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, in Yokohama, Japan. China's death toll from the new virus outbreak has risen to over 800, surpassing the number of fatalities in the 2002-03 SARS epidemic, as other governments stepped up efforts to block the disease. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

TOKYO (AP) – The U.S. says Americans aboard a quarantined ship will be flown back home on a chartered flight Sunday, but that they will face another two-week quarantine.

About 380 Americans are aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has docked at Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo.

So far, 285 people from the ship have tested positive for a new virus. The passengers have been quarantined on the ship since Feb. 5. That 14-day quarantine is due to end Wednesday.

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo says the aircraft will arrive in Japan late Sunday. After arriving in the U.S., all will need to go through another two weeks of quarantine.