Mr. Morrison said the passengers will be taken to Australia's tropical north, where they will be required to be quarantined for another 14 days.

Australia will evacuate more than 200 of its citizens onboard a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship being held under quarantine in the Japanese port of Yokohama, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday.

Mr. Morrison said the passengers will be taken to Australia's tropical north, where they will be required to be quarantined for another 14 days.

The Diamond Princess, cruise ship, owned by Carnival Corp, has been quarantined since arriving in Yokohama on Feb. 3, after a man who disembarked in Hong Kong before it travelled to Japan was diagnosed with the virus.