More than 40 new cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed on a quarantined cruise ship where dozens of Britons are trapped.

A total of 61 passengers aboard the Diamond Princess have been infected - and 20 of them have been escorted off the luxury cruise liner for further treatment.

The ship is being held for two weeks in a harbour in Yokohama, Japan - and about 3,700 people on board.

Image: The cruise ship will be docked for two weeks

Many have been consigned to their cabins, with one stranded tourist comparing the atmosphere to a "floating prison".

Japan is also denying entry of foreign passengers on another cruise ship - currently travelling from Hong Kong to Okinawa - because suspected coronavirus cases have been identified on board.


The outbreak has now killed at least 636 people in mainland China - with a total of 31,161 confirmed cases.

According to a British holidaymaker aboard the Diamond Princess, passengers are being given thermometers to monitor their temperatures and have been told to contact medics if they go above 37.5C.

The stranded tourist, Alan from Nottingham, told Sky News that the staff on the docked vessel were "working their hearts out" to look after them, but described the situation as "scary".

It is believed that 78 people with British passports - including crew - are currently on the Diamond Princess.

Alan said: "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."

Image: Emergency service workers have removed confirmed patients

Image: More than 60 passengers have been diagnosed

Small groups of passengers are being allowed out on to a designated and controlled deck area for some daylight, fresh air and exercise, but they are requested not to congregate in groups or get within one metre of each other.

Alan said that masks and gloves needed to be worn when outside the cabins, with the remaining time spent inside monitoring temperatures, eating delivered meals and watching media helicopters and boats.

David Abel, another of the some 3,700 people stranded, wrote on Facebook that he booked the cruise for his 50th wedding anniversary and that it was now like being on a "floating prison".

But Alan told Sky News that he was in no rush "to go back home and risk spreading it further" after a third case - a middle-aged man - was confirmed in the UK.

The Department of Health said he was diagnosed in Brighton and transferred to St Thomas' Hospital in London, but has not commented on reports he contracted the virus in Singapore.

Image: Journalists have congregated on the harbour

Image: There are still some 3,700 people on board the liner

Image: People have mostly been consigned to their cabins

The number of cases on the Diamond Princess has made Japan home to the most coronavirus patients outside of China - prompting the British government to add the country to its travel advice regarding the outbreak.

Anyone who has arrived from the following countries and territories in the past fortnight and begins to feel unwell has been advised to self-isolate and call the NHS on 111 for advice:

China

Hong Kong

Japan

Macau

Malaysia

Singapore

South Korea

Taiwan

Thailand

Symptoms to watch out for include a cough, fever and shortness of breath.

For those who have returned from the central Chinese city of Wuhan and Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, they are advised to stay indoors, avoid contact with other people and call 111.

'We're being quarantined for two weeks'

The first two cases in the UK were confirmed on 31 January - both were staying at a hotel in York when they fell ill and one of them is a student at the University of York, while the other is related to them.

They are being treated at a specialist hospital unit in Newcastle and Public Health England insists the overall risk to people in the UK remains low.

The coronavirus is making its presence felt far more strongly in a number of other countries around the world, but the vast majority of cases and deaths remain restricted to China - specifically Hubei.

Coronavirus survivor jokes outside hospital

Among those who died after contracting the coronavirus is a doctor who attempted to warn others about the outbreak.

Li Wenliang, a 34-year-old ophthalmologist working in Wuhan, died on Friday.

He had raised the alarm about the SARS-like illness on 30 December, when he sent a message to his medical school alumni group warning them to wear protective clothing.

Dr Li told them that seven patients from a local seafood market had been diagnosed and were quarantined in hospital, only for police in Wuhan to accuse him of "rumour-mongering" and try to silence him.

Image: Worshippers wear masks at Che Kung Temple in Hong Kong

Image: A member of the Thai Airways crew disinfects the cabin of an aircraft

Another confirmed case - but not fatality - was a baby in Wuhan who tested positive just 36 hours after being born, becoming the youngest known person to be infected.

It is not clear how the infant became infected and not yet known if the virus can be transmitted in the womb.

Zeng Lingkong, director of neonatal diseases at Wuhan Children's Hospital, told Chinese TV: "The baby was immediately separated from the mother after the birth and has been under artificial feeding.

"There was no close contact with the parents, yet it was diagnosed with the disease."

Image: Women wear face masks in London

Image: A man wears a face mask in Chinatown, London

Outside of mainland China, Japan has had the most cases with 86, while Singapore, Thailand and South Korea follow comfortably behind with 30, 25 and 24 respectively.

Hong Kong has had 24 cases and one death, and Taiwan, Australia and Malaysia have had 16, 15 and 14 cases respectively.

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Thirteen cases, including two children, have been identified in Germany - all with links to a car parts supplier whose headquarters outside Munich were visited by a Chinese trainer.

Other countries with cases making up at least 260 outside mainland China include the US, Canada and India.

The wide spread prompted the World Health Organisation to declare a global public health emergency last week.