Coronavirus: Son of first Australian victim free to come home to grieve

The nightmare that engulfed the Kwan family after they set sail on the Diamond Princess for a holiday is finally ending.

James Kwan, 78, who died in Perth's Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital as the first Australian victim of coronavirus, pictured with his wife Theresa.

The nightmare that engulfed the Kwan family after they set sail on the Diamond Princess for a holiday is finally ending, leaving the family to grieve the loss of James Kwan, the first Australian to die of coronavirus.

Son Edwin, 50, says he has been given the all-clear to leave hospital in Japan, where he has been held since contracting coronavirus. “I have now completed all tests and given the all clear from the Japanese hospital, the Japanese Ministry of Health and this is being endorsed by the Australian Embassy Tokyo,” he said in a message to The Australian.

Holiday snapshots of the Kwans with son Edwin.

Edwin Kwan says he can’t wait to get home to Perth to grieve his father’s death and be at the bedside of his Covid-19 infected mother.

The close family was enjoying a cruise - father James, 78, mother Theresa,79, Edwin and his wife Gillian - when the liner was placed under a two-week quarantine near Yokohama, on February 5.

James , a respected travel industry figure, was flown to Darwin with his wife and then on to Perth after they both tested positive for Covid-19 virus. James died on Sunday morning in intensive care in Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. His wife Theresa, who was also infected, remains in a stable condition in the same hospital.

Edwin, who was only able to say goodbye to his father by phone, has spent nearly five weeks in Japan, first in shipboard quarantine and then in hospital. Gillian, who did not test positive, accompanied her in-laws to Darwin and has just been released from Howard Springs quarantine centre.

James Kwan and his wife Theresa.

Edwin told The Australian he was “bearing up well” despite the tragic loss of his father. He says he has received a letter from Australia’s chief medical officer allowing him to return to Australia without the need for further quarantine.

He said he was “quietly confident” his mother was making a good recovery, and she will undergo final swab tests to check for the virus in the next couple of days.

The traumatic separation of family members due to the virus outbreak shattered an idyllic holiday in which James Kwan, a sprightly and avid golfer, had climbed 150 steps up a hillside to reach a cave during the ship’s sightseeing stopover in Vietnam.

“James had no difficulty at all getting up there – he was quite fit,” says family friend David O’Malley. “His passion was family, business and golf – Wednesday was golf day and he wouldn’t miss for anything.”

He says a tribute to James Kwan will be held at the National Tourism Awards in a few days.

“As a pioneer of Asian inbound tourism to Western Australia, and later the east coast, James brought millions of dollars into Australia, especially from the Chinese market, long before anyone else did.”

Edwin Kwan will arrive back in Australia soon and has told O’Malley he’s looking forward to eating a big burger when he gets back to Perth.

He says he feels grateful for his care, with “nothing but good things to say” about Princess Cruises, the Australian consular staff who helped him and his treatment in a Japanese hospital.

“I cannot fault them and must commend all for going over and above the call of duty during this most difficult time.”

“I am looking forward to coming home to Australia and my family,” he said.