Infected Italian flown from ship to US

(ANSA) - Rome, February 17 - An Italian infected with the coronavirus has been flown back to the United States from the Diamond Princess cruise ship off Japan because he is married to an American, foreign ministry crisis unit head Stefano Verrecchia told Italian TV Monday.
    "It is the first case of an Italian infected on board," he said.
    "In any case he is already on a flight back to the US".
    None of the 35 Italians aboard the ship has been infected, Verrecchia said.
    "Among the nationals we have to deal with, there does not appear to be anyone infected, at the moment.
    "It seems there is one of our nationals (aboard), who however has left with the American flight because he is resident in America, since he is married to an American woman." Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Sunday that a flight would leave shortly, probably Monday, to bring back the 35 Italians aboard the Diamond Princess.
    "This is the Italy that never leaves its citizens on their own," he said.
    Di Maiuo recalled that on Friday-Saturday Italy laid on a flight to bring back Niccolò, a 17-year-old Italian, from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak.
    "We are Italians, no one must be left behind, the State is there and it will not be lacking," said Di Maio.
    The 35 Italians on the cruise ship will observe a 14-day quarantine when they are flown back, he added.
    Sources said they may be taken to the same military facility at Cecchignola, on the outskirts of Rome, where Italians from Wuhan have been brought back.
    Meanwhile it was announced that Niccolò, from Gardo near Venice, had tested negative for the virus in a second test at Rome's Spallanzano Hospital.
    Another Italian, and a couple of Chinese tourists, are already being treated for the virus at the Spallanzani, which specialises in infectious diseases.
    An additional 99 people have tested positive for coronavirus on the cruise ship off the Japan coast, Japanese media said Monday, citing new figures from the health ministry.
    That would take the total number of positive cases on the Diamond Princess to 454.
    The health ministry declined to confirm the reports immediately. It was also not clear whether the figures included 14 US citizens who tested positive for the virus but were allowed to board evacuation flights home. The Diamond Princess vessel moored in Yokohama near Tokyo has become the second-largest cluster of coronavirus cases outside the epicentre in China.
    Passengers have been largely confined to quarters since February 5 with only brief and occasional breaks to take air on deck -- with face masks.
    The quarantine period is over on Wednesday but many countries have decided to repatriate their citizens after an alarming climb in cases on board.
    The US was the first country to evacuate its citizens from the ship but Australia, Canada, Italy and Hong Kong have indicated they will follow suit.