(Reuters) - A Canadian government-chartered flight carrying 129 Canadians evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in quarantine near Tokyo due to coronavirus has landed in Ontario, the country's Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said on Friday.
All repatriated passengers on the chartered flight had tested negative for COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, while the Canadians who contracted the illness did not board the flight, CBC News said
The plane is part of a repatriation effort by several countries - including the United States, Australia and Hong Kong - for hundreds of foreigners aboard the Diamond Princess. The cruise, operated by Carnival Corp (N:CCL), originally had roughly 3,700 passengers, 256 of which were Canadian.
Forty-seven Canadians tested positive for the coronavirus and were not permitted to board the flight. Canada said individuals who tested positive before the flight would remain in Japan for medical care.
The evacuees are to be transported around 275km (171 miles) east to Cornwall, Ontario, where they will spend two weeks in quarantine in a hotel and conference centre.