Diamond Princess latest: Flight home for Brits quarantined on coronavirus cruise ship delayed

A repatriation flight for British passengers who have been quarantined on the coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship has been delayed, the UK Foreign Office has said.

More than 70 UK nationals, who have spent 16 days trapped on the liner, were expecting to fly home from Tokyo late on Friday.

But the flight will now take off on Saturday morning. Timings are said to have changed due to the "complex nature" of the proceedure.

The group are set to land at Boscombe Down airfield in Wiltshire before being quarantined for 14 days at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral.

The four Britons on board the Diamond Princess who have tested positive for coronavirus will not be on the government-chatered flight.

Only those who pass a medical check will be allowed to board.

The Diamond Princess was carrying more than 3,700 people in early February when 10 passengers were diagnosed with the Covid-19 strain of the disease.

At least 634 passengers and crew have now contracted the virus, the greatest concentration outside mainland China.

Elaine Spencer is one of those who has been trapped on the ship.

Ms Spencer, from Sittingbourne in Kent, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she was “relieved” to be coming home.

She said: “We’ve now got our papers, we’ve been given negative results, so we don’t have to go to hospital and we can leave.”

Asked how the Foreign Office had handled their repatriation, she said “Slowly”.

David and Sally Abel, from Northamptonshire, have been documenting their time on the quarantined ship on Facebook .

The couple are now being treated in a Japanese hospital after days shut in their cabin following their diagnosis.

Mr Abel admitted he was initially sceptical about whether his diagnosis was accurate , but has since confirmed both he and his wife have tested positive.

In his latest post, Mr Abel said: “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 would need three rounds of all-clears on coronavirus tests.

He added: “WiFi will not work for me, so this will be the final communication for some time. See you all before you know it.”

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab confirmed plans on Thursday for the UK’s latest rescue mission.

Mr Raab said: “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.”

The European Commission has also announced the EU will be financing the repatriation of citizens from any of the EU27 still stuck on the vessel.

As of 2pm on Thursday, a total of 5,549 people in the UK have been tested for coronavirus, of whom nine have tested positive.

There have been more than 75,000 confirmed infections recorded in mainland China and around 1,070 cases across 26 other countries – including those on board the Diamond Princess.

Authorities in China recorded 118 deaths on Thursday, bringing the total to 2,236 inside the country.