Countries evacuating nationals from coronavirus-hit areas

A growing number of countries around the world are evacuating or planning to evacuate diplomatic staff and citizens from parts of China and a cruise ship in Japan hit by the new coronavirus.

Following are some countries' evacuation plans, and how they aim to manage the health risk from those who are returning.

A flight carrying 129 Canadians evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in quarantine near Tokyo landed in Ontario on Feb. 21. There were 256 Canadians on board the ship, of which 47 have tested positive. All repatriated passengers on the chartered flight had tested negative.

Canada, after evacuating 215 people earlier, flew back 185 citizens from Wuhan on Feb. 11. All evacuees are quarantined on the Trenton, Ontario, base for two weeks.

More than 150 Australians arrived home on Thursday to begin two weeks of quarantine after finally leaving the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan.

British passengers will be evacuated from the British-flagged Diamond Princess cruise ship and face another 14-day quarantine upon arrival in the UK. There were more than 70 British passengers on the cruise liner when cases of Covid-19 started to emerge.

Britain's final evacuation flight from Wuhan, carrying more than 200 people, landed at a Royal Air Force base in central England on Feb. 9. A plane carrying 83 British and 27 European Union nationals from Wuhan landed in Britain at the end of January.

Six South Koreans and one Japanese spouse flew to South Korea on Wednesday morning on a chartered flight.

Taiwan plans this week to send a chartered flight, which could arrive as early as Friday afternoon, to evacuate its more than 20 citizens from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship, the Taiwan government said on Wednesday. It evacuated 247 of the estimated 500 Taiwanese stranded in Wuhan on Feb. 3.

Indonesia is 'committed' to evacuating 74 of its nationals from the Diamond Princess cruise, a senior minister said on Thursday. Four Indonesians who were part of the crew on the cruise liner were infected with the coronavirus, according to a foreign ministry official.

Indonesia's government flew 243 Indonesians from Hubei on Feb. 2 and placed them under quarantine at a military base on an island northwest of Borneo.

In central Ukraine residents protested the arrival of a plane carrying evacuees from Hubei on Thursday, despite official assurances there was no danger of infection. In addition to 45 Ukrainians, there were 27 citizens of Argentina on the plane, as well as citizens from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Kazakhstan, Costa Rica and other countries.

Bangladesh evacuated 312 people, mostly students, from the coronavirus epicenter of Wuhan on a special flight on Feb. 1, the foreign minister told media after they were brought back.

A plane load of New Zealanders, Australians and Pacific Islanders evacuated from Wuhan arrived in Auckland, New Zealand on Feb. 5, officials said.

Nepal on Feb. 16 evacuated 175 of its nationals from Wuhan.

The United States flew back on Feb. 17 over 300 Americans who had been stuck on a cruise ship affected by the coronavirus. They will face two more weeks of quarantine after spending the previous 14 days docked in Japan.

Hong Kong said on Feb. 15 it would send an aircraft to Japan to bring back passengers from a quarantined cruise ship, which has seen the most coronavirus infections outside of China.

The United States authorized the voluntary departure of its government employees and their family members from Hong Kong on Feb 11. On Feb. 6, two planes with about 300 passengers, mostly U.S. citizens, took off from Wuhan for the United States, the State Department said.

A second evacuation flight is bringing back another 174 Singaporeans and their family members from Wuhan to the city state on Feb. 9, Singapore's foreign ministry said.

Thirty Filipinos returned to the Philippines on Feb. 9 from Wuhan, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. The returning passengers and a 10-member government team are quarantined for 14 days.

Uzbekistan has evacuated 251 people from China and quarantined them on arrival in Tashkent, the Central Asian nation's state airline said on Feb. 6.

The 34 Brazilians evacuated from Wuhan landed in Brazil on Feb. 9, facing 18 days of quarantine.

Italy flew back 56 nationals from Wuhan to Rome on Feb. 3. The government said the group would spend two weeks in quarantine in a military hospital.

People wait to check in at the airport in Wuhan. | Saudi Arabia has evacuated 10 students from Wuhan, Saudi state television reported on Feb. 2

South Korea evacuated 147 people on a third chartered flight from Wuhan that arrived on Feb. 12. The country flew 368 people on a charter flight that arrived on Jan. 31.