Britons stuck on ‘coronavirus cruise liner’ will finally be airlifted home TOMORROW

Britons on the coronavirus-stricken cruise ship docked off the coast of Japan will be evacuated by plane on Friday, officials have confirmed. 

The evacuation flight for the 74 Britons quarantined on board the Diamond Princess will leave Tokyo on Friday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Wednesday evening. 

On their return they will be housed in Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral. 

British passengers have had to remain in quarantine until their evacuation flight was put in place, as a total of 621 cases of the the virus were diagnosed on board.

Around 170 Australians have been allowed to leave to board a flight from at Haneda airport chartered by their government.  

It comes as a Japanese disease expert branded the Diamond Princess quarantine a ‘major failure’, ‘completely inadequate’ and a ‘mistake’ as he slammed the ‘bureaucrats’ in charge. 

Kentaro Iwata said the situation on board the vessel was worse than outbreaks he had dealt with in the past, such as Ebola in Africa and the 2003 SARS crisis in China, as he feared he would also be infected.

The professor said in a YouTube video that on board the Diamond Princess was the only time he feared getting disease himself.

He placed himself in a 14-day quarantine for fear of infecting his family after a brief visit on board the ship yesterday.

The Kobe University infectious diseases expert said conditions on the ship were ‘completely chaotic’ and violated quarantine rules. 

His video has racked up more than a million views amid a barrage of criticism of Japanese authorities after 542 people were infected during the lockdown. 

Passengers disembarking from the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked at Yokohama Port are pictured in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan on Wednesday

A passenger (left) disembarks from the Diamond Princess cruise ship - in quarantine due to fears of the coronavirus

A passenger (left) disembarks from the Diamond Princess cruise ship – in quarantine due to fears of the coronavirus

A bus believed to be carrying passengers from the cruise ship Diamond Princess, leaves Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama on Wednesday

A bus believed to be carrying passengers from the cruise ship Diamond Princess, leaves Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama on Wednesday 

Ambulance cars leaving from the Diamond Princess cruise ship at the Daikoku pier in Yokohama, sububan Tokyo, on Tuesday

Ambulance cars leaving from the Diamond Princess cruise ship at the Daikoku pier in Yokohama, sububan Tokyo, on Tuesday

A passenger of Diamond Princess leaving Daikoku Pier. About 500 passengers who have tested negative for the coronavirus were allowed to disembark the cruise ship on Wednesday after 14 days quarantine period

A passenger of Diamond Princess leaving Daikoku Pier. About 500 passengers who have tested negative for the coronavirus were allowed to disembark the cruise ship on Wednesday after 14 days quarantine period

Medical workers outside the a cruise ship yesterday. A total 542 passengers and crews have found to be infected on the ship

Medical workers outside the a cruise ship yesterday. A total 542 passengers and crews have found to be infected on the ship

A worker wearing a protective suit standing next to a bus carrying passengers, who will board the Qantas aircraft chartered by the Australian government, from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship drive at Haneda airport today

A worker wearing a protective suit standing next to a bus carrying passengers, who will board the Qantas aircraft chartered by the Australian government, from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship drive at Haneda airport today

Of those Australians who were ready for evacuation, 10 were told they could not leave because they tested positive for the deadly disease, which has killed more than 2,000 people so far. The rest will fly from Japan to Darwin after boarding a specially charted plane.

Around 500 holidaymakers who had tested negative were allowed to leave the ship on Wednesday morning.  

The ship docked in Yokohama on February 3 and Japan has been criticised for its handling of the quarantine, including by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Japan has also faced wider criticism after the number of infections on the mainland reached 74, including one of only four fatalities outside China. 

But Iwata’s criticism of the ‘bureaucrats’ who stoked the crisis by failing to follow basic protocols. is some of the most scathing yet. 

‘The cruise ship was completely inadequate in terms of infection control,’ said Iwata in videos which he posted in English and Japanese last night. 

He said: ‘There was no distinction between the green zone, which is free of infection, and the red zone, which is potentially contaminated by the virus.

‘I was in Africa dealing with the Ebola outbreak. I was in other countries dealing with the cholera outbreak. I was in China in 2003 to deal with SARS…I never had fear of getting infection myself.

‘But inside Diamond Princess, I was so scared… because there was no way to tell where the virus is.’  

Passengers board the Qantas aircraft chartered by the Australian government after disembarking from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship at Haneda airport today

Passengers board the Qantas aircraft chartered by the Australian government after disembarking from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship at Haneda airport today

Former passengers waving from a bus carrying them to a Qantas aircraft chartered by the Australian government after they were released from quarantine today

Former passengers waving from a bus carrying them to a Qantas aircraft chartered by the Australian government after they were released from quarantine today 

A bus carrying passengers who will take a flight chartered by the government of the Hong Kong driving past the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship docked the Daikoku Pier in Yokohama today

A bus carrying passengers who will take a flight chartered by the government of the Hong Kong driving past the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship docked the Daikoku Pier in Yokohama today

A bus leaves the Diamond Princess today after more than 500 people were infected during a two-week lockdown, sparking fierce criticism from disease experts

A bus leaves the Diamond Princess today after more than 500 people were infected during a two-week lockdown, sparking fierce criticism from disease experts 

Mr Iwata said he had boarded the ship because he ‘wanted to be useful in helping’ to contain the virus. 

He relayed his concerns to officials on the boat and was later told to leave the site, he said.  

His criticism has made waves in a country where unvarnished criticism is rare in officialdom and academia, and Iwata fears he could face professional repercussions for his public rebuke. 

He said he posted the videos at the urging of his wife, who is also an infectious disease specialist and said it was his professional duty to get the word out. 

But Japanese officials defended their approach, insisting that many of the infections took place before the quarantine began. 

Shigeru Omi, a former WHO regional head advising the government, said the quarantine had ‘a very positive effect’ on reducing infections. 

‘(The) majority of the infections, we believe, occurred before the date when the quarantine measures started,’ he told reporters. 

That does not appear to have convinced foreign governments, many of whom have lost patience with Japan and airlifted their citizens out. 

When asked about the videos, government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said staff on the boat were thoroughly protected from infection through the use of masks and hand washing.  

Disease expert Kentaro Iwata (pictured) said he had placed himself in a 14-day quarantine for fear of infecting his family after a brief visit on board the ship yesterday

Disease expert Kentaro Iwata (pictured) said he had placed himself in a 14-day quarantine for fear of infecting his family after a brief visit on board the ship yesterday

A bus carrying passengers who disembarked the quarantined Diamond Princess. About 500 passengers who tested negative for the coronavirus were allowed to disembark

A bus carrying passengers who disembarked the quarantined Diamond Princess. About 500 passengers who tested negative for the coronavirus were allowed to disembark

A bus carrying passengers, who will board the Qantas aircraft chartered by the Australian government More than 200 Australians on the cruise ship will be flown to Darwin

A bus carrying passengers, who will board the Qantas aircraft chartered by the Australian government More than 200 Australians on the cruise ship will be flown to Darwin

Japan’s health Minister Katsunobu Kato has also defended the government’s approach.

‘Expert doctors who are members of an infection prevention team are supervising inside the ship,’ he said in response to questions from opposition lawmakers.

‘If symptoms develop, of course not only that person but also those who had close contact with the person are told to refrain from serving, and workers follow rules such as wearing masks and putting on gloves,’ he added.

‘According to experts, the infection is under control.’  

Michael Ryan, head of the WHO’s health emergencies programme, acknowledged there ‘has been much more transmission than expected on the ship’.

But, he added, ‘it is very easy in retrospect to make judgements on public health decisions made at a certain point’. 

A passenger wearing a face mask drags two items of luggage with him after leaving the Diamond Princess in Japan today

A passenger wearing a face mask drags two items of luggage with him after leaving the Diamond Princess in Japan today 

A passenger of the Diamond Princess cruise ship leaves Daikoku Pier today after about 500 passengers were allowed to leave

A passenger of the Diamond Princess cruise ship leaves Daikoku Pier today after about 500 passengers were allowed to leave

Richard Koo, chief economist at Nomura Research Institute, has warned that coronavirus could cause a ‘substantial amount of economic damage in Japan’ more widely, according to Bloomberg.  

‘The Japanese government’s decision to wait for the China-friendly WHO to make its much-delayed declaration of a global health emergency led to the first cases of domestic person-to-person transmission and tarnished the country’s international reputation,’ he said.  

Japan has announced plans to use HIV drugs to combat the virus as the growing number of cases poses an increasing threat to the world’s third-largest economy.

With Japan’s economy contracting, raising the risk of a recession, the spread of the coronavirus has prompted Tokyo to put limits on public crowds. 

In addition, some companies have begun to urge employees to work from home. 

Central banks across the region have already begun slashing interest rates to help ease credit as tourism arrivals plunge.    

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk