Coronavirus cruise ship counts 40 more cases
More than 40 more people trapped on board a cruise ship have contracted coronavirus, it has been confirmed.
Now 61 passengers on the Diamond Princess have the illness, with 20 having left the ship for further treatment, according to reports.
A total of 78 Brits are believed to be on board the luxury cruise liner, which has 3,700 passengers. The ship is docked in a harbour in Yokohama, Japan, where it will remain for the next two weeks.
Japan has also stopped people from boarding another cruise ship travelling from Hong Kong to Okinawa, due to suspected cases of coronavirus.
One Brit on board the Diamond Princess said staff have distributed thermometers to passengers. They must contact medics if their temperature goes above 37.5C.
A passenger called Alan told Sky News: “We are not really worried about the virus as it is out of our hands, (but) it is a talking point that 61 people we have been mingling with for over two weeks have been tested positive and taken off the ship.
“Some passengers are aware that some passengers they have been eating with have now been tested positive and removed from the ship, and you do wonder if it was you who tested positive how it would work out.
“It is an extraordinary situation that has to be managed, and methods are constantly being developed to meet needs. We are confident that at the moment everything is being done.”