Coronavirus news – live: British honeymooner among dozens of new cases reported on quarantined cruise ship, as US announces $100m aid
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The third person to have been diagnosed with coronavirus in the UK is believed to have caught the disease in Singapore.
It comes as Japan reported 41 new cases of the illness on a quarantined cruise ship near Yokohama. Before the new cases, 20 infected passengers had been escorted off the Diamond Princess.
Meanwhile, a Chinese doctor who had been threatened by police after sounding the alarm about the coronavirus died.
The illness has killed 636 people and infected 31,161, with 260 cases recorded outside of China.
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Hundreds more people evacuated from China arriving in US
Hundreds of people who have been evacuated from the Wuhan region in China due to the coronavirus outbreak are arriving at military bases across the US tonight.
Flights have landed in San Diego and San Antonio carrying passengers from the virus-hit region, while another plane is due to arrive later on Friday in Omaha, Nebraska.
All passengers will be quarantined for two weeks and monitored for any signs of illness.
Earlier evacuation flights to California brought evacuees to March Air Reserve Base in Southern California and Travis Air Force Base between San Francisco and Sacramento.
Officials with the Centers for Disease Control said on Thursday that they do not expect the passengers to show any symptoms for the virus.
Royal Caribbean bans China, Hong Kong and Macau passport holders from ships
The cruise ship company Royal Caribbean has said it will ban guests holding China, Hong Kong or Macau passports from boarding its ships due to concerns over coronavirus.
Guests or crew members who have travelled to, from or through mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau, less than 15 days before sailing will not be allowed to board the company’s ships as well.
The extraordinary decision will also apply to guests or crew members who have been in contact with someone who has travelled to, from or through those countries.
It comes after the fast-spreading virus has killed more than 600 people and infected more than 31,000 in at least 25 countries worldwide.
Source: Getty Images
Dr Robert R Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, has said the “immediate risk” from coronavirus remains low for the American public.
The US has seen 12 confirmed cases of the virus so far, although additional cases in the future are expected.
For more information on the US response to the outbreak, you can find today's full press briefing from Alex Azar, the US secretary of health, below:
Britons returning from Wuhan will be taken to Milton Keynes
British evacuees returning from the virus-hit region of Wuhan on Sunday will be taken to a conference centre in Milton Keynes for 14 days in isolation, South Central Ambulance Service has confirmed.
“Everyone being repatriated will be assessed before boarding the plane in China, monitored during the flight and will continue to be monitored after landing in the UK,” the ambulance service said in a statement.
“A facility at Kents Hill Park in Milton Keynes is being used to house these returning citizens and they will remain at the site in isolation for
14 days. During this time, their health will be regularly assessed.”
Evacuees who returned from China on a flight last month were taken to Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral.
Ambulance service insists evacuees do not pose ‘any risk to local people’
South Central Ambulance Service has said evacuees who are returning from China do not pose a risk to local people in Milton Keynes as no passengers are showing symptoms of the virus.
“The presence of this group in Milton Keynes does not present any risk to local people,” the service said.
“No one showing symptoms of the novel coronavirus infection (2019-nCoV) would have been allowed to board the plane when it was in China.”
It added: “During their time in Milton Keynes, the group will be regularly assessed by highly experienced healthcare professionals and will be provided with support to meet any social and emotional needs during their stay.
“All staff working at the facility will be wearing appropriate protective equipment at all times. Anyone showing symptoms of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) will be assessed and if appropriate undergo testing for the virus.”
The ambulance service also said the centre in Milton Keynes had been chosen because it offers appropriate accommodation and is close to medical facilities, if they are needed.
US 'stands ready' to work with China
US vice president Mike Pence (AFP)
Stephen Biegun, US deputy secretary of state, has said the US has sent nearly 17.8 tons of medical supplies to China, including masks, gowns and other protective gear.
He also told a media briefing that the $100m set aside to help China and other coronavirus-hit countries would help support response efforts by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Mike Pence, US vice president, told Fox News president Donald Trump had told Chinese President Xi Jinping in a telephone call on Thursday evening that the US was ready to help via the WHO.
He said: "The loss of life, the coronavirus that is impacting people of China, and fortunately, a small number of people in the United States to date is heartbreaking but we stand ready to work with China to provide them any and all support.”
Hubei death toll rises to 699
China's Hubei province, at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, has reported 81 new deaths, bringing the death toll to 699 by the end of Friday.
The province's health commission reported a further 2,841 cases detected in Hubei, taking the total in the province to 24,953.
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