Four more Dutch back in NL after extraction from China

Four more Dutch people returned to The Netherlands on Sunday after they were extracted from Wuhan, China over coronavirus concerns. Two Chinese relatives of the Dutch passengers also arrived on the flight, which landed at Eindhoven Air Base.

All six were ordered into quarantine as a precaution, though they had no symptoms before they departed for Europe. The six were unable to participate in the first removal of Dutch citizens from Wuhan, and instead joined a flight to London on Saturday, followed by a flight to Berlin on Sunday morning.

They then departed on a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft operated by the Dutch Air Force.

The six will remain in quarantine for 14 days. They will be actively monitored by health authority GGD, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed.

Their first night of quarantine was centralized, with a stay arranged in Huis ter Heide, Zeist. If the situation allows, the six may stay in their home environments, however it is possible they will have to remain in a centralized facility, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, on the Diamond Princess cruise ship anchored off the coast of Japan, a coronavirus outbreak has infected a further 60 people. Of the 3,700 people held in quarantine on the ship, 130 have tested positive for the virus.

There are five Dutch people on board the vessel. As of Monday morning none of the five were known to have been among the 130 patients on the ship.