This week, 328 American citizens had to be evacuated from a coronavirus contaminated cruise ship in Japan. Originally, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo informed the passengers that no one infected with the virus would be able to board the charter flights back to the United States. Unfortunately, those initial plans changed after fourteen American citizens tested positive for the coronavirus as they were being dispatched to the airport.
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After extensive consultation with some of the nation's most revered health officials, the United States government allowed the infected evacuees, that were not displaying symptoms, to board the commandeered and reconfigured cargo jets stateside. The asymptomatic, 'fit-to-fly' infected American citizens on the flight were confined to a special containment area on the aircraft where they were monitored and isolated from the remaining passengers.
The 328 citizens arrived at military bases in Texas and California and are currently on a mandatory 14-day quarantine regardless of their diagnosis. According to The New York Times, the State Department and the Department of Health and Human Services released a joint statement saying if any of those passengers develop symptoms or later test positive for the virus, they will be sent to "an appropriate location for continued isolation and care."
The arrival of the fourteen infected U.S. citizens nearly doubles the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States to a total of 29 people. The nation suffered its first casualty due to the virus, earlier this month.
Check out the footage of the American patrons' evacuation process in the video provided below.