
Two passengers from the coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship have died, it has emerged today – with fears now mounting for the hundreds of tourists left aboard and those who have already disembarked the vessel.

The elderly Japanese victims, an 87-year-old man and an 84-year-old woman, had underlying conditions and were taken off the ship on February 11 and 12 before being treated in hospital.

Both tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus although the woman's cause of death was listed as pneumonia – a known complication of the never-before-seen virus, the Japanese health ministry said.

At least 634 passengers have been infected on the gigantic vessel, which has been quarantined off the coast of Yokohama since February 3 with 3,700 people on board.

Leading experts have slammed the quarantine as a 'major failure' and 'completely inadequate', claiming the ship had become a 'source of infection' rather than a safe haven.

It comes as the Foreign Office has finally confirmed Britons stuck on the Diamond Princess will be airlifted home tomorrow evening, days after other countries including the US began to rescue their passengers.

More than 450 passengers have already disembarked after they tested negative for the virus and did not show any symptoms – such as a cough, fever or shortness of breath. Hundreds more will leave today.

In other developments to the coronavirus crisis today:

More than 75,000 people worldwide have now caught the virus, with almost 99 per cent of cases in China. The global death toll now stands at almost 2,130

Japanese Professor Kentaro Iwata, who helped tackle Ebola in Africa and the 2003 SARS crisis in China, said conditions on the ship were 'completely chaotic' and violated quarantine rules

China's efforts to control the deadly outbreak of 'are working', Beijing's top diplomat said, attributing an easing in new cases to his country's 'forceful action' against the illness

British couple David and Sally Abel, who tested positive for the virus and were taken to a hospital after begging to be rescued, have posted pictures from their hospital beds

Two passengers from the coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship moored near Tokyo have died, according to local media

David Abel, one of the Brits on board the Diamond Princess who begged the Government to rescue them, posted a picture of himself in a Japanese hostel today while getting treated by medics on Facebook today. He posted a picture of his wife, Sally, also getting treated. Mrs Abel was also taken off the cruise after she tested positive

In another post, Mr Abel said: 'We arrived in lovely hospital a couple of hours ago. Taken by ambulance blues & twos the entire journey... Last communication so please don't worry about not hearing from us: See you all before you know it'

Russian passengers walk with their luggage after leaving the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked at Yokohama Port, south of Tokyo, today

Officials in protective suits help a passenger disembark from the quarantined Diamond Princess. Pictured today

WHERE HAS THE WUHAN CORONAVIRUS SPREAD TO? COUNTRIES CHINA SOUTH KOREA ITALY IRAN DIAMOND PRINCESS JAPAN GERMANY FRANCE SPAIN US SINGAPORE HONG KONG UK SWITZERLAND KUWAIT MALAYSIA BAHRAIN THAILAND TAIWAN AUSTRALIA NETHERLANDS SWEDEN CANADA NORWAY IRAQ INDIA UAE AUSTRIA BELGIUM VIETNAM ICELAND SAN MARINO ISRAEL LEBANON OMAN MACAU DENMARK CROATIA QATAR GREECE ECUADOR BELARUS FINLAND ALGERIA PAKISTAN MEXICO CZECHIA PORTUGAL ROMANIA GEORGIA RUSSIA SAINT BARTHELEMY PHILIPPINES AZERBAIJAN IRELAND INDONESIA SENEGAL ESTONIA NEW ZEALAND BRAZIL EGYPT AFGHANISTAN LITHUANIA FAROE ISLANDS NEPAL LUXEMBOURG ANDORRA SAUDI ARABIA GIBRALTAR ARMENIA ARGENTINA NIGERIA JORDAN CHILE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC UKRAINE NORTH MACEDONIA MOROCCO CAMBODIA MONACO POLAND LICHTENSTEIN LATVIA TUNISIA SRI LANKA WORLD TOTAL NON-CHINA TOTAL EUROPE TOTAL CASES 80,270 5,621 3,090 2,922 706 304 244 212 193 137 110 102 85 93 56 50 49 43 42 42 38 35 33 32 32 28 27 27 23 16 16 15 15 13 12 10 10 10 8 8 7 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 94,880 14,610 3,859 DEATHS 2,981 34 107 92 6 6 0 4 1 9 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3,248 267 112 Advertisement

No details about the former passengers who died after getting off the Diamond Princess have been given by health officials in Japan, other than their ages.

The pair are the first fatal cases among the more than 600 cases diagnosed on the cruise ship, which has had more infected passengers than all of the countries in the world combined – excluding China.

Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato offered partial confirmation of the deaths but said he had to wait until families had been informed before making it official.

'I pray for their souls and offer condolences to their bereaved families,' he told MPs. 'The two were sent to medical facilities when they showed symptoms. I believe that they received the best possible treatment.'

Yesterday, 443 passengers disembarked after testing negative for the virus and not showing symptoms during a 14-day quarantine period. The rest of the passengers will be allowed to leave in waves over the next two days.

Hundreds more passengers are expected to leave the ship today, with some already pictured getting into yellow buses and leaving for stations and airports for home. The Japanese Health Ministry, which is running operations on the ship, could not confirm how many people remained on board.

Those who have shared a room with people testing positive were required to remain in quarantine, as were crew.

But questions are increasingly being asked as to why former Diamond Princess passengers are able to roam freely around Japan's famously crowded cities, even if they have tested negative.

'Is it really safe to get off?' screamed a headline in the Nikkan Sports tabloid. The paper quoted a passenger who said he was tested on February 15 and left four days later. 'I thought I could be infected during the four days. I thought "Is it really OK"?'

It comes as more than 150 Australian passengers arrived home after a pre-dawn departure from Tokyo's Haneda airport. They face another 14-day quarantine.

Buses escorted by police cars transported the Australian passengers from Yokohama to Tokyo's Haneda Airport late Wednesday.

The buses drove the Australians straight to the tarmac, where they boarded the government-chartered plane.

Some Hong Kong passengers also went home, while Canadians were due to leave on a charter flight in the early hours of Friday, Tokyo time, a Canadian government spokeswoman said.

An evacuation flight was also being arranged for British nationals to leave Tokyo on Friday. MailOnline understands it will take off in the evening local time. Tokyo is nine hours ahead of GMT, meaning if a flight was to leave the Japanese city at 7pm local time, it would be 10am in London.

Earlier in the week, the US evacuated more than 340 nationals on two chartered flights, with two planes picking them up from nearby Tokyo over the weekend.

They will spend two weeks in quarantine on military bases in California and Texas after 14 people were diagnosed with the coronavirus during the bus ride to the airport.

Masked passengers look out from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, a luxurious vessel which has 13 decks

Two sets of passengers wearing masks look into the distance underneath the Diamond Princess logo on the side of the ship

Passengers wait for transportation after leaving the cruise ship this morning, in the second wave of tourists disembarking

Three passengers – including a child carrying a teddy bear – drag their luggage after disembarking the Diamond Princess

Officials help load a man's luggage into the boot of a vehicle, after he was allowed to leave the quarantined cruise ship

Two elderly passengers wearing face masks wait for a vehicle to collect them after disembarking the Diamond Princess

BRITISH COUPLE WHO CAUGHT THE VIRUS SAY THEY ARE IN THE 'BEST PLACE' AFTER BEING TAKEN TO HOSPITAL IN JAPAN A British couple diagnosed with coronavirus in Japan have said they are 'in the best place' as they posted pictures from their hospital beds. David and Sally Abel, from Northamptonshire, have been transferred for hospital treatment from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Around 70 other Britons from the ship are due to fly back to the UK from Tokyo on Friday on a repatriation flight organised by the Foreign Office. In a Facebook post, Mr Abel said: 'We arrived in lovely hospital a couple of hours ago. Taken by ambulance blues & twos the entire journey. Outside the hospital I came over a bit weird and nearly passed out. Every pore on my body opened and i was wheelchaired to our room. 'Full health inspection and now we know what's going on. We both contracted a cold (unaware of) and it has not yet turned into pneumonia. (we do have coronavirus). 'Tomorrow the big tests commence. chest x-rays, ECG, chest scan, urine + more. We are both in the best place! They do know what they are doing and our two nurses are gorgeous. Sally likes the Dr too.' Mr Abel said that following treatment, the couple will need three rounds of all-clears on coronavirus tests. He added: 'Wi-fi will not work for me, so this will be the final communication for some time. See you all before you know it.' In further posts, Mr Abel said his wife Sally had a bed in the same room as him and that they were 'thinking of all the Brits flying to UK tomorrow.' He also said it was 'impossible to send or receive emails' and he was unable to contact the British Embassy or his family. Advertisement

A US State Department official said there were still about 45 US citizens on board the cruise ship as of Thursday.

Americans flown back will have to complete another 14 days quarantine, as will returning Hong Kong residents.

Disembarked Japanese passengers, however, face no such restrictions, a decision that has sparked concern.

Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, when asked yesterday why Japanese leaving the ship did not have to spend another two weeks in quarantine, referred to the advice of Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID).

The NIID said there should be no problem if people had shown no symptoms for 14 days and had tested negative for the virus during the period their health was under surveillance.

Besides those on the cruise liner and returnees brought home from Wuhan, China, about 70 cases of domestic infections have been confirmed in Japan, including 25 in Tokyo, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The spread of the virus has raised concerns about planning for the Tokyo Summer Olympics as well as the impact on Japan's economy.

Health Minister Katsunobu Kato today defended Japan's response in parliament, telling lawmakers that officials have taken expert advice and responded to issues on a daily basis.

In a move to reassure the public, the health ministry also issued a statement in both English and Japanese that said all passengers had been required to stay in their cabins since February 5 to contain the virus.

It comes as a British couple diagnosed with coronavirus in Japan have said they are 'in the best place' as they posted pictures from their hospital beds.

David and Sally Abel, from Northamptonshire, have been transferred for hospital treatment from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has been quarantined near Yokohama, Japan. They had previously begged the Government to help rescue them, and even asked billionaire Sir Richard Branson to step in.

A large group of Australians quarantined on the ship are on their way home on a special Qantas flight. Pictured: Australians Clare Hedger and her mother during an evacuation to Darwin ahead of quarantine

Earlier this week, the cruise ship began disembarking passengers who have tested negative for the virus following a 14-day quarantine period

Medical staff wearing protective suits are seen at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal where the Diamond Princess is anchored

TIMELINE OF THE CRUISE SHIP HIT BY THE KILLER CORONAVIRUS JANUARY 20: The Diamond Princess cruise ship leaves Yokohama for a 14-day round trip in East Asia with 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew FEBRUARY 1: Health chiefs in Hong Kong confirm a passenger who disembarked the ship on January 25 has the killer coronavirus FEBRUARY 3: Princess Cruises tells the 13-floored vessel to return back to Yokohama one day early for the safety of guests FEBRUARY 4: Japanese officials screen a handful of passengers and find 10 have the virus, including two Australians and one American. The quarantine begins FEBRUARY 6: The ship arranges eight new TV channels, as well as room service and free internet for the 3,700 in quarantine. 31 more people test positive FEBRUARY 9: The Diamond Princess announces it will refund guests for the cruise, flights, hotels and transport – and gives them credit equal to what they paid Sixty-six more cases are confirmed on board the ship, including Alan Steele from Wolverhampton, eleven Americans and four Australians FEBRUARY 11: The Japanese Ministry of Health announces 39 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 on the Diamond Princess FEBRUARY 12: Princess Cruises announces the old and the sick can leave and finish quarantine on the mainland. Forty-four new cases are confirmed FEBRUARY 14: British couple David and Sally Abel beg billionaire Sir Richard Branson to help repatriate the 74 Brits trapped on the cruise FEBRUARY 15: The US tells Japan it is going to repatriate hundreds of its citizens on board the cruise ship the next day FEBRUARY 16: 340 Americans are flown to military bases in California and Texas on two cargo planes from Tokyo. 14 test positive after disembarking the ship Sixty-seven new cases are recorded, including five more Australians and Americans. Twelve guests have already voluntarily disembarked – 55 chose to stay Sir Richard reveals his airline Virgin Atlantic is 'in discussions' with UK officials over whether it could help the stranded Brits FEBRUARY 17: Canada announces it will arrange a chartered aircraft to rescue the Canadian residents quarantined on board the ship FEBRUARY 18: Officials announce 169 new cases of SARS-CoV2, including three more Brits, as pressure ramps up on the UK to organise an evacuation mission More cases have now been recorded on the cruise ship (542) than the rest of the world combined – excluding China Mr and Mrs Abel test positive for the virus and are taken to hospital on the mainland. Their son Steve slams the British government for its handling of the situation FEBRUARY 19: Princess Cruises confirms Australia, Hong Kong and Canada will fly residents on the Diamond Princess back Japanese authorities allow 443 passengers to disembark the ship – those not taking government repatriation flights The UK Foreign Office announces it hopes to organise a flight 'later this week' – but admits there's a chance Brits who disembark won't be allowed on an airlift FEBRUARY 20: Two former passengers on the Diamond Princess die. The pair are a man and a woman in their 80s and are the first deaths recorded on the ship The Foreign Office confirms the Brits still on board will be evacuated on February 21, and will then be taken to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral to be quarantined for 14 days Advertisement

Around 70 other Britons from the ship are due to fly back to the UK from Tokyo on Friday on a repatriation flight organised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

In a Facebook post, Mr Abel said: 'We arrived in lovely hospital a couple of hours ago.

'Taken by ambulance blues & twos the entire journey.

'Outside the hospital I came over a bit weird and nearly passed out. Every pore on my body opened and i was wheelchaired to our room.

'Full health inspection and now we know what's going on. We both contracted a cold (unaware of) and it has not yet turned into pneumonia. (we do have coronavirus).

'Tomorrow the big tests commence. chest x-rays, ECG, chest scan, urine + more.

'We are both in the best place! They do know what they are doing and our two nurses are gorgeous. Sally likes the Dr too.'

Mr Abel said that following treatment, the couple will need three rounds of all-clears on coronavirus tests. He added: 'Wi-fi will not work for me, so this will be the final communication for some time.

'See you all before you know it.'

In further posts, Mr Abel said his wife Sally had a bed in the same room as him and that they were 'thinking of all the Brits flying to UK tomorrow.'

He also said it was 'impossible to send or receive emails' and he was unable to contact the British Embassy or his family.

Another British national on the ship who has recovered from the virus posted on Facebook on Wednesday to say he is heading home.

Alan Steele said: 'Informed we will have to do another 2weeks quarentine (sic) back in blighty although japan has set me free as all ok.'

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab confirmed the evacuation flight for British nationals on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship will leave from Tokyo.

He said: 'Details have been sent to those who have registered for the flight. We urge other British nationals still seeking to leave to contact us.

'We will continue to support British nationals who wish to stay in Japan.'

Meanwhile, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said on Wednesday that those Britons repatriated from the Diamond Princess will be quarantined for 14 days at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral on their return.

There were 78 British passengers on the cruise liner when cases of the coronavirus strain known as Covid-19 started to emerge.

Four British cases have since been confirmed by the Foreign Office. The Foreign Office has said Britons diagnosed with coronavirus will continue to be supported while they undergo treatment in Japan.

Meanwhile, the European Commission has announced the EU will be financing the repatriation of citizens from any of the EU27 still stuck on the Diamond Princess.

As of 2pm on Wednesday, a total of 5,216 people in the UK have been tested for coronavirus, of whom nine have tested positive.

New cases have fallen to less than 2,000 per day for the past two days but officials and analysts have warned that the threat of a more serious outbreak remains as people gradually return to work following a prolonged Lunar New Year holiday.

While the overall spread of the virus appears to have been slowing, the situation remains severe in Hubei province where the virus is thought to have originated.

China's efforts to control the deadly outbreak of a new coronavirus 'are working', Beijing's top diplomat said Thursday, attributing an easing in new cases to his country's 'forceful action' against the illness.

Revealed: The Diamond Princess has 13 decks and is 290m long. It had 3,700 people on board – including 1,000 crew members – when it began the 14-day quarantine

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said on Wednesday that those Britons repatriated from the Diamond Princess will be quarantined for 14 days at Arrowe Park Hospital (pictured) on the Wirral on their return

The NHS accommodation block at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral was used to quarantine 94 Brits who were evacuated from the outbreak's epicentre – the deserted Chinese city of Wuhan

China's efforts to control the deadly outbreak of 'are working', Beijing's top diplomat said, attributing an easing in new cases to his country's 'forceful action' against the illness

WHAT ARE OTHER COUNTRIES DOING TO EVACUATE CITIZENS WHO ARE STUCK ON THE DIAMOND PRINCESS? UK: The UK government is in the process of planning an evacuation flight for around 70 citizens on board. The flight is expected to take off on the evening of February 21 from Tokyo US: The US government, on February 16 and 17, flew 340 of its citizens back to the States after evacuating them from the stranded cruise ship. They were put on board two cargo planes, which had separate isolation facilities for 14 passengers who were diagnosed with coronavirus on the way to the airport. All were taken to military bases in California and Texas to serve a further two weeks of quarantine to make sure they are not contagious. South Korea: South Korea sent one of its president's jets to Tokyo on Tuesday, February 18, to evacuate its citizens from the ship. Just five people were on board. Australia: Australia evacuated 180 residents from the cruise ship on February 20. The passengers were taken to a former workers' site 18.6miles (30km) south east of Darwin to be quarantined for two weeks, alongside at least 250 Australians airlifted out of Wuhan. Canada: Canada will charter a flight on the same day, February 18, to take its citizens home from Tokyo if they are believed to be free of the virus. Hong Kong: Hong Kong will charter a plane to retrieve citizens on board the Diamond Princess. A person who got off the ship in Hong Kong was the first passenger to be diagnosed with coronavirus and triggered the lockdown. Italy: Italy will send a plane this week to retrieve 35 of its citizens who are on the Diamond Princess – one of whom is the captain of the ship. 25 of the Italians are crew members. No date for the evacuation has been announced yet. Israel: Israel's health ministry announced on February 17 it was speaking to insurance firms of the dozen nationals on the Diamond Princess to organise flying them home. Advertisement

Speaking in Laos after talks with peers from the 10 Southeast Asian (ASEAN) countries, Wangi Yi said the outbreak was 'controllable and curable' despite the global panic it has seeded.

'China is not only protecting its own people but also the rest of the world,' he told the summit in Vientiane, referencing a recent sharp drop in new cases of the virus inside China, where it has killed more than 2,100 people.

The hastily-convened summit with ASEAN neighbours comes as a region dependent on the flow of Chinese goods and tourists faces a steep bill following restrictions on movement from China.

A similar meeting was held in 2003 following the outbreak of SARS.

Originating in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the new coronavirus - known as COVID-19 - has infected more than 74,000 people inside China.

The government has locked down tens of millions of people in several virus-hit cities, extended Lunar New Year holidays and pulled flights in a scramble to contain the virus.

Still the health scare has cascaded across Southeast Asia, with cases recorded in the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam have restricted flights from mainland China and suspended visa-free arrivals as health screening ramps up at entry points.

Thailand, which has imposed no such restrictions, reported a 90 percent slump in arrivals from the mainland this month, a gut punch to an already beleaguered tourist sector which makes up nearly a fifth of the economy.

Thailand anticipates a loss of more than $8 billion by year's end from the tourist tail-off.

In Laos, Beijing will be eager to 'project regional solidarity with its anti-pandemic efforts' a Southeast Asian diplomat told AFP, declining to be named.

China sees ASEAN as its backyard and has ramped up economic, diplomatic and cultural influence over recent years with billions of dollars of investment, tourist outflows and a bigger presence at regional summits.

There are fears prolonged disruption by the virus could slow work on the massive China-backed 'Belt and Road' infrastructure schemes which criss-cross ASEAN.

Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin Jr thanked China for its 'unprecedented domestic measures and quick action' - apparently referring to the lockdowns of several large cities as the virus billowed out.

But he recognised the 'massively detrimental' economic impact of the disease, which has constricted global trade and tourism vital to many Southeast Asian economies.