The Diamond Princess cruise ship has been a focal point of the coronavirus crisis with thousands of passengers quarantined on board for two weeks.
Covid-19, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, spread quickly amongst passengers as the liner was put on lockdown while docked in the Japanese city of Yokohama.
As some 3,500 passengers were quarantined on the ship for two weeks, hundreds caught the virus and at least two people have died.
It has see the largest number of cases in one location outside China and many passengers are still testing positive, even as they begin to leave the ship.
It all began with an 80-year-old guest, who spent five days on the liner at the end of January.
He then disembarked in his home city, Hong Kong on January 25, 2019.
But six days, later he visited a local Hong Kong hospital, where he tested positive for Covid-19.
Back on the ship, passengers were enjoying their journey into Japanese waters when the alert was raised and 170 were rapidly tested.
By February 6, ten passengers were diagnosed with coronavirus and moved to medical facilities in Yokohama.
The thousands left on board then faced at least two weeks quarantined on the vessel as they waited for more tests and more results.
The next day, 41 more people were diagnosed with Covid-19 and the ship was put on lockdown.
Honeymooner Alan Steele was the first Brit to be diagnosed on the ship while his new wife, Wendy escaped the virus.
On February 12, another British couple, David and Sally Abel were among 39 new cases of coronavirus on board.
The total number of confirmed cases at this point had hit 175.
By February 14, Mr Abel, who posted social media videos alongside wife from the ship, turned from upbeat to more concerned as he said the conditions on board were "desperate".
He said passengers were “in a bad way” as they entered the tenth day on lockdown.
The UK Foreign Office began facing increasing pressure to fly home the 78 Britons on the ship.
It came after the US chartered two planes and repatriated 340 of its citizens on February 17.
Eleven of the US evacuees tested positive for the virus but were allowed to continue their journey home anyway.
At this point, the number of cases on the cruise ship had skyrocketed to 454.
The UK Foreign Office said in statement: "Given the conditions on board, we are working to organise a flight back to the UK for British nationals on the Diamond Princess as soon as possible."
All passengers were then given the green light from Japanese authorities to leave the ship on February 19,.
Hundreds disembarked although UK officials still urged their citizens to stay put until they were repatriated.
On February 20, the UK Foreign Office confirmed plans that the British passengers would fly home the next day.
However only Britons who pass a medical check will be allowed to board the government-chartered flight, which will touch down at Boscombe Down, an airfield run by the RAF north of Salisbury, Wiltshire.
They will then spend two weeks in NHS quarantine at Arrowe Park hospital in the Wirral.
As of February 20, the total of cases on the ship stand at 634, by far the largest number in one location outside mainland China.
