10 things you need to know today: February 16, 2020

U.S. set to evacuate quarantined cruise ship passengers, Speech reveals Xi was involved in coronavirus decision-making early on, and more

Diamond Princess cruise ship.
(Image credit: BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP via Getty Images)

1. U.S. set to evacuate quarantined cruise ship passengers

American passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has been quarantined in Japan since Feb. 3 due to 356 cases of coronavirus on board, are being evacuated Sunday. Around 400 American citizens will disembark, and those that have either not been infected or are not showing symptoms of the virus will return to the U.S. on chartered flights. Upon arrival, the passengers will once again be subject to quarantine at Air Force bases in California and Texas. Overall, the total number of deaths resulting from the coronavirus increased to 1,665, and the number of cases reached 68,500, China reported Sunday. However, Beijing's National Health Commission also reported more than 9,400 patients in China have been cured and discharged.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.