Trapped in Japan on a coronavirus-virus cruise ship, hundreds of U.S citizens were permitted to leave and return home.

The two planes carrying the U.S. passengers landed at a U.S. Air Force base in California and Texas, respectively.

They will be quarantined at the military base for a period of two weeks before they can return to their families.

There were about 400 Americans onboard the Diamond Princess which docked in the Japanese harbor.

Over 3,000 passengers and crew said to be on the ship were in quarantine since 3 February.

Meanwhile, China reported 2,048 new cases at the beginning of the week.

Of those new cases, 1,933 were from Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak.

More than 70,500 people across China have been infected by the virus.

In Hubei alone, the official number of cases stands at 58,182, with 1,692 deaths. Most new cases and deaths have been reported in Wuhan, Hubei’s largest city.

Nigel Bell, Readers Bureau, Fellow

Edited by Jesus Chan

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