Changes to Japanese procedure could mean two more weeks on the Diamond Princess

Britons could face two more weeks trapped onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship as Japan updates its quarantine procedure in an effort to halt the rapid spread of coronavirus among passengers.

Cruise ship guests received a letter on Sunday saying that while those who tested negative for the virus would be allowed to leave on Wednesday, anyone who shared a room with a passenger who tested positive would face another two weeks onboard, starting from the date they were separated from their cabin mate.

The number of infected passengers on the ship has risen to 355, after 70 more cases were diagnosed on Sunday.

The US is sending planes to evacuate about 400 of its citizens from the ship, who will then spend another two weeks in quarantine once they return to the US. They were told they were being evacuated “out of an abundance of caution” and being brought back to the US for further monitoring.

Q&A How can I protect myself and others from the coronavirus outbreak? Show Hide The World Health Organization is recommending that people take simple precautions to reduce exposure to and transmission of the coronavirus, for which there is no specific cure or vaccine. The UN agency advises people to: Frequently wash their hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or warm water and soap

Cover their mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue when sneezing or coughing

Avoid close contact with anyone who has a fever or cough

Seek early medical help if they have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, and share their travel history with healthcare providers

Advice about face masks varies. Wearing them while out and about may offer some protection against both spreading and catching the virus via coughs and sneezes, but it is not a cast-iron guarantee of protection Many countries are now enforcing or recommending curfews or lockdowns. Check with your local authorities for up-to-date information about the situation in your area. In the UK, NHS advice is that anyone with symptoms should stay at home for at least 7 days. If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home.

Canada, Hong Kong, Italy and South Korea have also announced they are organising flights to remove their citizens from the ship.

It is likely this new policy will affect two British passengers, Alan Steele, who tested positive for the virus on 7 February, and his wife, Wendy. Steele was treated at a Japanese hospital and has subsequently tested negative, while his wife remains onboard the ship.

In posts on Facebook, Steele was critical of Japan’s handling of the outbreak and the British government’s lack of action. “Getting the impression japan have screwed up this quarentine [sic] and want to reset the clock. just remember we are ppl not objects and we have rights which I believe are now being abused,” one post read.

He said confining people to their cabins was starting to take a toll on passengers’ mental health.

Another British passenger, David Abel, has also issued urgent pleas to the government to organise repatriation. “It feels that we have been forgotten, that you don’t really care about us and that you’re actually not wanting us to come home. I am begging you […] to get us off ASAP. I’ve never felt less loved by my home country. Are you closing the borders to us?”

Abel and his wife, Sally, have raised concerns over whether they will be permitted to fly on commercial flights when the quarantine ends, and whether they will face further quarantine once they return to the UK. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said it was unable to comment on these concerns.

The Japanese health ministry has been testing passengers aged 70 and older, including the Abels, and those who test negative and show no symptoms will be allowed to leave on Wednesday, when the quarantine period is due to end.

Starting on Sunday, all passengers who have yet to be tested will be assessed. Those who test negative and show no symptoms will also be allowed to leave.

Those with the new extended quarantines will be tested in due course and allowed to leave at the end of their allotted two weeks, as long as they test negative and show no symptoms.

An FCO spokesperson said: “We are urgently speaking to authorities in Japan and the UK. We are working around the clock to ensure the welfare of the British nationals onboard.”

Medical experts have suggested the quarantine on the ship is not effective at stopping the spread of the disease. Tom Inglesby, an infectious disease expert and director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Time magazine: “There is now ample evidence that this [quarantine] is not preventing the spread of cases within the ship and it is also posing a risk of spread within the ship. There are no clear, obvious precedents for what needs to happen.”