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[Diamond Princess. Japan strikes】 The first charter flight carrying 102 Hong Kong people takes off at 8:50 in the morning

2020-02-19T20:29:50.706Z


In Japan, the Diamond Princess cruise ship was forced to remain on the ship for quarantine due to the earlier diagnosis of pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus, and the quarantine period on the 14th was completed today (February 19). Charter flights have been arranged to take some 300 Hong Kong residents who have passed the test back to Hong Kong. The first charter flight will take off from Tokyo Haneda Airport at 1:45 am (Hong Kong time, 00:45 Hong Kong time) on February 20th. Deputy Director of Security Bureau Qu Zhiguang said that 230 Hong Kong residents are now willing to leave on chartered flights, of which 45 people He will return to Hong Kong by chartered plane later tonight. The Director of Immigration, Tsang Kwok-wai, also reiterated that all passengers were Hong Kong people. Hong Kong residents who are expected to be on board will disembark later and then be delivered to the airport. "Hong Kong 01" will hit the whole process. Reporter: Qiu Jingwen, Photojournalist: Yang Kaili hits Japan


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Written by: Qiu Jingwen and Yang Kaili

2020-02-19 17:00

Last updated: 2020-02-20 04:22

In Japan, the Diamond Princess cruise ship was forced to remain on the ship for quarantine due to the earlier diagnosis of pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus, and the quarantine period on the 14th was completed today (February 19). Charter flights have been arranged to take some 300 Hong Kong residents who have passed the test back to Hong Kong. The first charter flight will take off from Tokyo Haneda Airport at 1:45 am (Hong Kong time, 00:45 Hong Kong time) on February 20th. Deputy Director of Security Bureau Qu Zhiguang said that 230 Hong Kong residents are now willing to leave on chartered flights, of which 45 people He will return to Hong Kong by chartered plane later tonight. The Director of Immigration, Tsang Kwok-wai, also reiterated that all passengers were Hong Kong people. Hong Kong residents who are expected to be on board will disembark later and then be delivered to the airport. "Hong Kong 01" will hit the whole process.

Reporter: Qiu Jingwen, Photojournalist: Yang Kaili hits Japan

[4:20] The government stated that the Cathay Pacific charter flight will arrive at Hong Kong International Airport at 8:50 in the morning.

[4:00] The first charter flight finally took off at 4 am, 3 hours later than originally scheduled, and was climbing in Tokyo Bay. The route takes about 5 hours, that is, they arrive at Hong Kong at about 9 am.

[3:30] The passenger Princess Diamond, who boarded the first government Cathay Pacific charter flight, has boarded the plane, the boarding bridge connecting the plane has been disengaged, and the aircraft is about to start going to the runway in preparation for takeoff.

[1:27] The Director of Immigration Department, Zeng Guowei, was also at the airport, stating that there were a total of 102 charter flights this time, and the test results of all of them were confirmed to be negative by the Japanese side, but the Japanese side could not immediately issue a certificate.

[1:10] The Hong Kong people seen on the scene arrived at the airport in batches, with only a small number of people each time, so they could avoid long queues in the airport lobby.

[0:47] The ground staff is registering information for Hong Kong people. After completing the registration, they can go to the exit formalities.

Japanese ground crews put on full protective clothing, hoods, gloves and masks.

Some Diamond Princess Hong Kong passengers said that they had to wait for the Japanese side to issue a quarantine notice before they could land, but received a notice earlier that all Hong Kong people can disembark and they did not receive a quarantine notice before boarding the aircraft. I do n’t know the quarantine results.

Some passengers also said that although they did not receive the quarantine notice, they thought that the quarantine result would be negative if they could disembark, and they found out that they could actually get on the plane without any notification of the results.

The situation when the tourist bus arrived near the Diamond Princess at night. (Reuters)

[0:36] The first coach arrives at the airport. The Director of Immigration, Tsang Kwok-wai, said that the longer time for the cruise to board the bus was because more people were on board the aircraft. There were 92 temporarily, an increase of 47 from the original estimate of 45, and more than 100 were expected to come to Hong Kong.

Some Hong Kong people said that they knew that they had to go to Junyang Village for quarantine on the 14th after returning to Hong Kong, but thought it was better than being on board.

Some Hong Kong people also said that the Japanese side took care of the three meals on board, but they were always worried about being infected and could relax a little bit.

[0:29] The charter flight dispatched by the government is Cathay Pacific's 777-300 passenger aircraft. It is a large passenger aircraft to replace the Boeing 747. Each 438 seats, passengers will ride at a certain distance, reducing the chance of infection.

It is understood that two charter flights each have 10 to 11 cabin attendants and two pilots on duty, but aircraft meals will not be arranged. The cabin attendants will also wear protective clothing provided by the Department of Health, ride at designated locations, and are only responsible for shutdown Hatches and other services to reduce transmission risks.

Tonight, the first group of Hong Kong people will be arranged to take the first charter flight. It is expected that the second charter flight will be arranged on the 20th, but details have not been determined.

[0:12] There is still about half an hour before the scheduled departure time, and the tour bus finally departs.

[23:55] It is understood that some people temporarily changed their decision to make more than 45 passengers willing to return to Hong Kong with the first charter flight. It is still less than an hour before the scheduled departure time of the charter flight. The Haneda Airport website has indicated that it is checking in, but a number of coaches from the terminal to the airport have not yet opened.

[23:26] Australia also sent a charter flight tonight to pick up the Australians on the Diamond Princess. The charter flight has arrived at Haneda Airport.

[23:24] The Diamond Princess has about 350 Hong Kong residents holding SAR passports and foreign passports respectively. The Hong Kong government announced on the evening of the 18th (Tuesday) that the number of Hong Kong people affected by the disease has increased to about 50. Today (19th) security guards Secretary Li Jiachao said that it has risen to 53 people, a 1.5-fold increase from the 21 people announced on Sunday (16th).

Neither confirmed patients nor close contacts can take this charter flight back to Hong Kong. They need to be treated or quarantined in Japan.

[22:59] Another passenger disembarks and goes to the counter for inspection.

[22:43] A few people completed the quarantine and boarded the tourist bus after they had disembarked. However, the shipping company immediately suspended the disembarkation. All the Hong Kong people who are going to charter flights tonight have not disembarked and boarded the bus.

[22:30] Six Hong Kong people who first landed in Saitama Prefecture for isolation have arrived at Haneda Airport.

[22:05] Hong Kong government personnel, such as the Department of Health, have arrived outside the Diamond Princess, and are preparing to quarantine the disembarking port people.

According to the Haneda Airport website, charter flights departing at 1:45 local time have begun check-in.

[21:39] Passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship disembarked one after another. Large-scale coaches have been transferred at the dock to prepare to pick up the disembarked passengers. Immigration officers will check their documents and identity for them, help them check their temperature, organize their luggage, etc., and then arrange for them to board the car. The same family may sit closer together, and strangers may need to sit next to each other. Seen at the scene, after disembarking the passenger, they still need to walk a certain distance and do checkups and inspections on the way to board the coach.

According to a letter previously issued by the government to Hong Kong passengers of the Diamond Princess, Hong Kong people on chartered flights will take physical measurements before boarding the aircraft. If they have a fever or are unwell, they will not be able to board the aircraft. On board, passengers need to wear a mask all the way. If they want to take off temporarily, they must clean their hands before and after taking off.

After returning to Hong Kong, he will immediately take a bus from the airport to the temporary quarantine center, namely Fotan Junyang Village, for quarantine on the 14th. The Department of Health will arrange for a virus test. In the event of a positive test result, they will be admitted to the hospital for isolation as soon as possible.

If Hong Kong people who are stranded choose not to return to Hong Kong by charter plane, they will still have to enter the designated quarantine center according to the situation when entering the country, and the quarantine will be up to 14 days.

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[21:09] Kentaro Iwata, Professor of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Kobe University School of Medicine, also posted a short video on Youtube, claiming that he had boarded the Diamond Princess on the 18th (Tuesday) as a member of the disaster dispatch team, and received health labor in the afternoon The provincial notice required him to disembark. He revealed that the situation inside the ship was even scared to him, because the general response to the epidemic would set up red zones for patients and medical staff, and green zones that were not infected by the virus, but it was not on the Diamond Princess.

He also pointed out that passengers with fever had to go to the doctor on board to seek medical treatment by themselves. He had also encountered patients at close range, but the quarantine staff did not pay special attention to it. And not all quarantine personnel, crew and medical personnel are wearing protective clothing.

Kawaichiro Iwata said that the situation on board was more severe than the SARS outbreak in 2003 and recent outbreaks in Africa in recent years. He has visited China and Africa to inspect SARS and Ebola virus outbreaks.

[19:55] Japan's Kyodo News quotes Professor Shizui Sakurai of Iwate Medical University, who speculates that there may be two rounds of infection on the ship, the first round being transmitted between passengers, and the second round or after quarantine through shipping Spread when staff members provide services.

In the evening, large tourist buses gradually entered the Heng Bin Ferry Terminal. The Director of Immigration, Zeng Guowei, was also on one of the vehicles. (Photo by Yang Kaili)

[19:22] Deputy Director of the Security Bureau, Au Zhiguang, said that there were more than 350 Hong Kong people on the list, more than 50 were diagnosed, and more than 30 were close contacts, but the list is still finalized. Of these more than 350 people, 230 Hong Kong residents chose to return to Hong Kong by charter plane, 16 refused, and others did not decide. Mr. Au Chi-kwong hoped that the Hong Kong people who refused would change their minds, and those who had not decided would expedite their decision and pointed out that charter flights would return to Hong Kong tomorrow. Forty-six Hong Kong residents can disembark, and another six can be separated or left on shore, that is, a total of 52 Hong Kong residents can leave, 45 of whom are willing to take a charter flight tonight, and 7 refused.

All charter passengers tonight are Hong Kong people

The Director of Immigration Department, Zeng Guowei, said that now waiting for the shipping company to prepare, Hong Kong people can be arranged to disembark, and then they will go to the airport. There are special passages at the airport to handle immigration procedures. All charter flights tonight are Hong Kong residents, and there are no mainland or Macao residents.

Some passengers expect to receive test results tomorrow

Zeng Guowei said that the Japanese inspection process has been completed and they can only leave after the results are announced, and it is expected that the number of people who will receive notification of the results will increase significantly tomorrow. He also said that some Hong Kong people who were unwilling to charter flights stated that they had the opportunity to return to Hong Kong, and some people wanted to continue their trip to Japan. Zeng also said that government personnel would not leave Japan until the entire operation was completed.

[18:15] According to the Japanese media "NHK", the Diamond Princess was diagnosed with an additional 79 people today, bringing the number of confirmed diagnoses to 621, of which 68 had no fever symptoms, and another 443 people were disembarked after quarantine today. So far, 53 Hong Kong residents have been diagnosed.

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[16:30] The first charter flight will take off in the early morning of the 20th

The Chinese Embassy in Japan issued a notice stating that, with the close coordination of the Chinese Embassy in Japan, the Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, and the relevant government departments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the SAR Government will send charter flights to evacuate Chinese passengers to Hong Kong. The first charter flight will take off from Tokyo Haneda Airport at 1:45 AM (00:45 Hong Kong Time) on February 20.

The Hong Kong Government's charter flights will pick up several Macau residents. The Chinese ambassador to Japan has the title "Chinese compatriots will return to Hong Kong by charter plane". There are reports that charter flights will pick up mainlanders, but the news indicates that some media have misunderstood the title of the embassy in Japan. Charter flights will only pick up Hong Kong and Macao people. All chartered flights are Hong Kong residents.

A reporter from "Hong Kong 01" arrived at Chiba Hospital, which was diagnosed by Hong Kong people this morning, and found that the facilities were relatively rudimentary. The family members said that they had not been treated with any medication for a few days.

The Chinese Embassy in Japan announced the charter time.

Passengers disembark in the morning

Passengers stranded in the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan ended the quarantine period today, and passengers started disembarking in batches starting in the morning. The Japanese authorities first arranged for the Japanese to leave, and there were about 10 buses parked near the pier for people alighting from the ship to major stations. At 11:00 am local time, Japanese passengers who had completed quarantine started to disembark their luggage, and most of them left in taxis or private cars. Near cruise ships and buses, quarantine personnel wear a full set of protective clothing, but security guards outside the aisles of passengers only wear masks.

Japan ’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said earlier that virus detection samples have been collected from all passengers. If the results are negative, the ship can be disembarked without any health problems. The shipping company expects about 500 people to leave the ship today. Disembarked passengers can go straight home, but need to keep in touch with quarantine personnel.

First charter flight will take off tomorrow at 0:45

Diamond Princess has a total of 352 Hong Kong residents, of which 260 hold SAR passports and 92 hold foreign passports. The Director of Immigration, Zeng Guowei, said Tuesday (18th) that he will temporarily return Hong Kong people to Hong Kong in two flights. If necessary, he will not rule out an extra flight. The Secretary for Security Li Jiachao said this morning that the government is considering arranging a third charter flight to Japan. The first charter flight to take Hong Kong people back to Hong Kong will take off at 0:45 am Hong Kong time on Thursday (20th).

Earlier, the Secretary for Food and Health Xu Deyi said that people returning with charter flights need to be tested for new coronavirus by the Japanese authorities with negative results. They also need to be screened by the health department of Hong Kong, including body temperature and questionnaire surveys to ensure You can get on the plane without symptoms, and you need to be quarantined for 14 days after returning to Hong Kong.

[Diamond Princess] Reporter hits Japanese hospital Zheng Yongshun: Hong Kong people cry for I have to go

[Diamond Princess] Confirmed Hong Kong people admitted to hospital for several days without close contacts or failed to return to Hong Kong

[Diamond Princess] Li Jiachao withdrew all Hong Kong people today, but Japanese information was not provided

Wuhan Princess Pneumonia Diamond

Source: hk1

All news articles on 2020-02-19

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