Passengers leave Japan virus ship after 14-day quarantine

Passengers who have tested negative for the new coronavirus and are not showing symptoms on Wednesday began leaving a cruise ship in Japan that has seen more than 500 cases of the potentially deadly disease.

Some 500 passengers were expected to disembark in the coming hours after the start of an operation that authorities say could take up to three days as test results are processed.

Yellow-dotted city buses, plus a dozen or so taxis, were lined up to whisk away the passengers, many of them dragging their luggage behind them and waving to former ship-mates on balconies.

The ship is the biggest cluster outside China, where new figures showed the death toll surging beyond 2,000 with more than 74,000 infected. Hundreds more cases have been reported in two dozen countries.

South Korea reported 15 new confirmed cases — increasing its total by nearly 50 percent — including a cluster of at least 11 centred on the southern city of Daegu. Hong Kong reported a second death.

For the 500 passengers disembarking after testing negative, a difficult 14-day quarantine period has come to an end after their dream cruise turned into a nightmare of fear and boredom confined in many cases to small windowless cabins.

“Our last deep gratitude to the crews and captain for such an amazing care… during the epic crisis… we can’t wait to see you again soon on board again,” tweeted passenger Yardley Wong, who has been cooped up with her six-year-old son.