Coronavirus: 84 more passengers from Diamond Princess return to Hong Kong on second flight, but blunder forces 18 to pay for their own evacuation
- Government-chartered flight from Japan lands at Hong Kong airport at 1.30am, taking total number of evacuees to 190
- 18 city residents mistaken for close contacts of the infected end up paying for their own flights back
Eighteen cruise ship passengers had to buy their own tickets home from their coronavirus ordeal in Japan after they were barred from a government-chartered flight, which landed in Hong Kong early on Saturday with 84 evacuees on board.
The second airlift of residents stranded on the Diamond Princess cruise ship from February 4 arrived at about 1.30am after a mix-up delayed take-off by four hours.
Director of Immigration Erick Tsang Kwok-wai said the Japanese authorities halted the evacuation on Friday afternoon in the mistaken belief some passengers initially given the all-clear to leave the country were close contacts of the infected.
The airline said the flight was so delayed a decision had to be made either to cancel it or turn away the 17 at the boarding gate, according to Tsang.
Speaking to the media in the early hours of Saturday, Tsang said: “Eventually, without much option, we decided to let the rest of the travellers leave first.”
The 18 passengers having to make their own way home were erroneously stopped back at Yokohama port, where the coronavirus-stricken ship is docked.
Tsang said the group decided to return to Hong Kong at their own expense, despite offers by Japanese authorities to stay overnight for free in a hotel and wait for a potential third flight home arranged by the Hong Kong government.
Two other Hongkongers thought to be close contacts of the infected were confirmed as such by authorities and sent to a hotel for quarantine.
Of the 84 who made it onto the flight, 82 were Hongkongers and two were residents of Macau, who returned home via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge in a government-arranged vehicle. All of them will be held in quarantine for 14 days, with those from Hong Kong transferred to the Chun Yeung Estate in Fo Tan.
Deputy security minister Sonny Au Chi-kwong said the government was not entitled to restrict the movements of the 18 residents outside Hong Kong’s jurisdiction, but officers from the health department advised them to always wear a mask and stay away from other passengers during their flights.
Au added the government would offer full support to those who wished to take legal action against those deemed responsible for their inconvenience.
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The 18 Hongkongers have been asked to report to health department officers on their arrival in Hong Kong, after which they will be sent to quarantine.
Before officials met the press, a Cathay Pacific spokeswoman said the airline had “very reluctantly” denied boarding to some Hong Kong passengers “out of caution and in the interest of bringing the other Hong Kong residents home as soon and as safely as possible”.
Earlier, it emerged that one more Hongkonger on the coronavirus-stricken ship had been infected, bringing the total number of locals with Covid-19 who had been on board to 66.
On Thursday, 106 Hongkongers on the cruise flew back on the first chartered flight. All were sent to the quarantine compound in Fo Tan.
About 120 more were expected to join on the second government-organised flight home, which was initially due to depart on Thursday night but was pushed back by more than 24 hours.
After 18 days of quarantine, some 30 Hongkongers remained hesitant about taking the arranged flights, according to city officials.
Officials previously said residents who opted to return on their own would still be quarantined upon their return.
A total of 364 Hong Kong residents were originally on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
On Thursday, one of the four Hongkongers who refused to be airlifted was seen enjoying the scene in Shinjuku, one of Tokyo’s busiest hubs. The move sparked a social media backlash, with online users accusing her of threatening public health.
Meanwhile, on the ship, stranded Hong Kong dentist Alan Lam said he and his wife had received a health certification from Japanese authorities on Friday morning, clearing them of infection.
He said passengers were asked in a notice from Hong Kong’s Immigration Department to pack up at 10am Japan time and wait for instructions from the cruise company to disembark for the flight home.
Lam said there were 11 coaches waiting outside the cruise liner to take them to the airport.
“We packed our luggage two days ago,” Lam said. “It’s just that we were not allowed to disembark.
“I hope to leave the ship as soon as possible to avoid infections,” he said. “But during our journey back to Hong Kong, we also need to be careful when we are on the bus and in the aircraft.”
He believed that all Hong Kong passengers would leave the ship on Friday, but a “small number” of them would not take the chartered flight.
Fearing infection, the couple had been living on their own snacks mailed by friends for more than 10 days without leaving their room at all, except on Wednesday night when they went out to wait in line for an hour hoping to disembark. It turned out to be a miscommunication.
So far, 66 Hongkongers on the cruise have been infected, and 41 were considered as close contacts.
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Tsang said the Japanese authorities had revealed plans to transfer the close contacts to either a land site or another vessel for quarantine.
Officials from both sides would discuss the arrangement on Saturday, Tsang said, together with the possibility of a third chartered flight to bring the close contacts home.
Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said tests for the virus had been conducted on this group and results were pending.
