Quarantined Americans back on U.S. soil

Peoria, IL, USA 1470 & 100.3 WMBD

Feb 17, 2020 | 6:11 AM

Buses arrive at a port as the Japan Self-Defense Forces prepare to move American passengers from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, at Yokohama Port, near Tokyo. 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. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) – Two charter flights carrying passengers from a cruise ship that was quarantined in Japan amid a virus crisis have landed in the United States.

The first plane carrying American passengers landed at a Northern California air force base just before midnight Sunday. A second flight touched down at a San Antonio air force base around 2 1/2 hours later, early Monday.

Passengers will be quarantined for two weeks to make sure they don’t have the new virus that’s been spreading in Asia.

Japan’s defense minister tweeted earlier that Japanese troops helped transport 340 U.S. passengers from the port to Tokyo’s airport. About 380 Americans were on the cruise ship.