2020 – Japan – COVID-19

The Diamond Princess cruise ship anchored at the Yokohama port in Japan on February 3, 2020, with a total of 691 COVID-19 cases on board. In late February, AUSMAT were tasked with assisting in repatriating Australians who had been aboard the Diamond Princess. The team, using the same 747 aircraft that completed the Wuhan mission, successfully bought the passangers to Darwin, Northern Territory to complete 14-day quarantine at the Howard Springs Quarantine Facility.  Several people tested positive to COVID-19 while in quarantine and were repatriated to their home state.