Four of the Britons evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship have tested positive for coronavirus after returning to the UK.
Health officials confirmed yesterday that tests at Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral – where 32 passengers were being quarantined – showed the quartet had contracted the Covid-19 strain.
The new cases, which bring the UK total to 13, came as experts warned of a pandemic, with the disease starting to outpace efforts to contain it.
Major outbreaks over the weekend forced Italy and Iran to introduce strict internal travel restrictions, while South Korea‘s president placed the country on its highest alert for infectious diseases following a spike in cases.
A bus arrives near the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where dozens of passengers were tested positive for coronavirus, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama
The 32 British and European passengers who were on the coronavirus-riddled Diamond Princess arrived at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside
The latest cases here were among the 30 Britons and two Irish citizens who were flown back on Saturday evening after more than two weeks trapped on the cruise ship off Japan.
The Department of Health said a ‘full infectious disease risk assessment’ was carried out before the repatriation flight and nobody who boarded had displayed any symptoms.
The four who tested positive will now be moved to a specialist isolation centre for treatment, most likely at the nearby Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
Sources told the Mail that passengers were ‘shocked’ by the news and that the two-week quarantine ‘had got off to the worst possible start’.
And some of those on the flight back from Japan told of their fury about spending hours sat with infected people.
On the way to Arrowe Park, the group were split between three coaches along with medical professionals wearing white hazmat suits as they arrived
Austria has halted all train traffic to and from Italy following fears that passengers might be infected. The first train to be stopped was at the Brenner Pass in the Alps earlier today (pictured) over reports that two of those on board had a fever
Venice has cancelled its flagship carnival celebration and all other public events due to be held in the city for at least one week after the new Covid-19 coronavirus killed three people in Italy and sparked a lockdown in 12 towns
Sky News reported it had seen messages shared between the evacuees saying there was ‘mounting anger’ over the new cases.
One read: ‘We were told no one would be on the flight unless they tested negative – that obviously isn’t the case.’ Another text said: ‘They let them fly without the results, so they have put us in a position where we now could have it too.’
It is understood the evacuees have been isolated in their rooms since their arrival at Arrowe Park and not allowed to socialise with each other.
Staff at the hospital were told the news in a memo from chief executive Janelle Holmes. She said the hospital was running as usual and all patients should go to appointments.
The 13 people now being treated in Britain are among almost 78,000 cases of Covid-19 confirmed across the globe.
The director-general of the World Health Organisation warned that the international community needed to act fast before the situation became a pandemic.
Tourists wear protective face masks during the Carnival in Venice before authorities announced its cancellation
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the virus has so far been contained to 11 countries but the greatest concern was that it would get to countries with less well-developed health systems, particularly in Africa. He added: ‘Although the window of opportunity is narrowing to contain the outbreak, we still have a chance to contain it.
‘If we don’t, if we squander the opportunity, then there will be a serious problem on our hands.’
Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia and an expert on the coronavirus infection, said: ‘The tipping point after which our ability to prevent a global pandemic ends seems a lot closer after the past 24 hours.’
It came as around a dozen towns and cities in northern Italy were put on lockdown yesterday and hundreds of events cancelled after officials confirmed three deaths – the first in Europe to involve non-Chinese nationals.
Designer Giorgio Armani was photographed putting on a face mask as he arrived at the venue of the Autumn/Winter 2020 collection during Milan Fashion Week
Italian National Police officers stand by as they direct residents at the entrance of the small town of Casalpusterlengo, southeast of Milan
South Korea has reported six deaths and, with more than 600 infected, president Moon Jae-in said the country faced ‘a grave turning point’.
Iran said it had 43 confirmed cases of the virus, with eight deaths – the highest number outside China.
The cruise ship passengers are the second batch of evacuees staying at Arrowe Park after 83 Britons were earlier this month flown out from the Chinese province of Hubei, where the outbreak began in late December.
Health officials said they had a ‘blueprint’ for how to handle new arrivals but some took to Facebook yesterday to complain about the facilities and food.
Alan Steele, 58, who was honeymooning with new wife Wendy on the cruise, wrote: ‘Only one breakfast has turned up and it’s stone cold.
‘We have in our kitchen a dishwasher, washing machine, cooker, kettle, microwave and boiler, which are all broke or not working at all.’
A view of a deserted street in Codogno which is one the northern Italian towns placed under lockdown due to the new coronavirus outbreak
Three passengers on the Diamond Princess have died and more than 600 of the 3,711 on board were infected with coronavirus.
Another British couple on the cruise – David and Sally Abel from Northamptonshire – are being treated in hospital in Japan for pneumonia after testing positive for Covid-19.
Relatives said they were ‘scared’ and in a ‘bad way’ because they had no internet access and felt cut off from the rest of the world.
More than 100 Britons evacuated from Hubei’s capital Wuhan a fortnight ago were finally released from their quarantine in Milton Keynes yesterday. None tested positive for the virus.
Paul Walkinshaw, who caught the flight with his wife Lihong having been visiting her parents in the city of Shiyan for Chinese New Year, said: ‘It feels fantastic to leave although it feels weird not having to wear a mask and gloves in public.’