Staff in protective suits are seen near the cruise ship "Diamond Princess" in Yokohama, Japan, on Feb. 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Du Xiaoyi)

As the US government finally evacuated about 330 Americans from the Diamond Princess cruiseliner and ordered them to another 14-day quarantine period on US soil, its late and chaotic response had enraged US passengers who told CNN that the trip was merely"trading one ordeal for another."

A total of 428 US citizens, 77 of whom have been infected by coronavirus, had been forced to quarantine on the ship. US citizens accounted for more than 10 percent of passengers on board, data shows.

Since the beginning of quarantine, US residents on board have been asking their government for help.

"Trump, save us," a US couple appealed directly to US President Donald Trump on February 6, asking him to "take them off the Diamond Princess," CNN reported.

Despite their calls for help, Trump didn't respond until February 15, when the government announced to send planes to evacuate them. The planes arrived in Japan on February 16 and departed for the US on February 17, only two days before the quarantine ends.

The decision of the US government to evacuate its residents, "on its face, being a case of a powerful government coming to the aid of its most vulnerable citizens," but actually "has prompted anger from some exhausted passengers, who believe the move could actually influence their ability to return to normal life, " CNN reported Sunday.

According to reports, the US government evacuated 330 Americans on the Diamond Princess ship with two chartered planes, which had 3,711 passengers and staff on board. Subsequently US passengers have been ordered to initiate another 14-day quarantine period after returning home.

Some US residents on board criticized their government for being too slow. 

The US government continued to advise their residents on board to remain on the ship for the quarantine period and take flights back home only after being confirmed virus free until Saturday, when it changed the plan and published a notice to evacuate residents but impose another 14-day quarantine once they arrive at the US.

Upon hearing the decision, many US residents on board got angry, demanding answers to two simple questions: "Why did the American government wait so long to make the about-face decision and what prompted such a dramatic shift in US policy?" CNN said.

"From tragedy to comedy to farce," tweeted Matthew Smith, one of the passengers. 

The Smith couple said in an interview conducted by Japanese media that the risk of infection during transport was too high as all people took buses and flights together and had no knowledge of the health of the others. 

At least a dozen Americans evacuated were tested positive for the virus. 

According to CNN, "US health officials apparently learned of the positive test results after those passengers boarded the buses and made a last-minute decision allowing them to board the flights." It said the infected passengers were put in a specialized containment area on the flights, isolating them from the rest of the passengers.

"I didn't hear a single word about that until I literally heard it on the news when we landed," Sarah Arana, one of the retrieved passengers who was quoted by the CNN. "It was widely being reported everywhere else and we were never informed about that."

However, NHK reported on February 17 that the Americans tested positive for the coronavirus received medical inspections days ago on the ship and Japan had immediately informed the US after the results came out. 

Amid this communication chaos, many Japanese net users criticized the US for offering no help as an ally, retrieving US citizens when the quarantine period was about to end and tried to"play the hero" but leaving confirmed patients in Japan.

The CNN said the journey of the Americans back to the US felt like "trading one ordeal for another." 

"I've just lost a whole month of my life," a US passenger was quoted by the report as saying.

The 14 infectioned Americans are being treated in locations around the US, US media reported.

Global Times