Princess has confirmed 20 people have now tested positive for the deadly infection. They are being transferred to mainland hospitals for further treatment.

The rest of the ship’s 3,700 guests and crew have been confined to their cabins and quarters while tests are carried out. The ship has been on lockdown after a guest who tested positive for the infection disembarked in Hong Kong, the BBC reports.

Briton David Abel posted a video update from the ship, in which he said he, his wife Sally and other guests had been “blindsided” by the quarantine announcement on Wednesday morning.

He added the couple feared a further 14 days’ quarantine upon their return to the UK once their ordeal onboard Diamond Princess comes to an end.

A Princess Cruises spokesperson said: “Princess Cruises can confirm we have been notified that among the second set of samples that have completed testing, 10 additional people have tested positive for coronavirus.

“This includes four Japanese guests, one guest from Taiwan, two Americans, two Canadians and one guest from New Zealand.

“Local public health authorities will be disembarking those guests for transport to local hospitals immediately.

“The health and safety of our guests and crew remains our top priority. We continue to work closely with the Japan Ministry of Health on all protocols and procedures while ensuring the comfort of our guests.”

It comes after two Australian guests, three Japanese guests, three guests from Hong Kong, and one guest from the US, in addition to one Filipino crew member, tested positive for coronavirus earlier this week.

There are nearly 2,700 Princess guests onboard Diamond Princess, and more than 1,000 crew. The ship’s 4 February and 12 February departures from Yokohama have been cancelled.

Coronavirus latest

Meanwhile, China has confirmed 563 people are now known to have died from the respiratory infection, while authorities have confirmed more than 28,000 cases.

The infection has spread from the city of Wuhan in Hubei province to the whole of China, and to more than 20 countries including the UK, where two cases have been confirmed.

The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a global health emergency and is now seeking $675 million (£520 million) funding for a three-month response plan.

Hong Kong has suspended border crossings with mainland China, and ferry crossings to mainland China and Macao, where the infection has been confirmed. The government has also announced the closure of the Kai Tak cruise terminal.

Taiwan has also halted international cruise arrivals.