Four cruise ship passengers brought to the UK from the Diamond Princess cruise ship have tested positive for coronavirus.
They were part of a group of 32 passengers who arrived at Arrowe Park, in Merseyside, last night after two weeks trapped onboard the ship.
The four patients are now being transferred to specialist NHS infection centres, the Chief Medical Officer for England has said.
This brings the total number of cases in the UK to 13.
Professor Chris Whitty said: “Four further patients in England have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to 13.
“The virus was passed on in the Diamond Princess cruise ship and the patients are being transferred from Arrowe Park to specialist NHS infection centres.”
The remaining 28 passengers are expected to spend another two weeks quarantined before being allowed to return home, it is understood.
On Saturday, a flight carrying 30 British citizens and two Irish citizens landed at Boscombe Down airbase in Wiltshire, after leaving Tokyo on Friday night.
There were 78 Brits on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship which spent weeks docked in Yokohama, Japan.
Three passengers have died after the Covid-19 outbreak onboard.
The new set of evacuees arrived just days after 83 Brits flown back to the UK from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, left the hospital following two weeks of quarantine in the Wirral.
Today, 118 people were released from a quarantine facility at Kents Hill Park in Milton Keynes.
Paul Walkinshaw, from Manchester, said it 'felt fantastic to leave' after testing negative for coronavirus.
Across the world today, South Korea has been placed on the highest level of alert over the virus and Italy has now confirmed 79 cases.
