Anxious passengers wait to leave Japan virus ship

Several hundred passengers who have endured a torrid 14-day quarantine on board a coronavirus-riddled cruise ship in Japan are set to disembark Wednesday if they have tested negative.

The Diamond Princess moored in Yokohama near Tokyo has proved a fertile breeding ground for the virus, with at least 542 positive cases, and Japan has come under fire for its handling of the quarantine arrangements.

The initial 3,700 passengers and crew on board from 56 nations have seen a dream cruise turn into a nightmare as they battled fear and crushing boredom on the vessel, some confined to small windowless cabins apart from brief periods of exercise on deck.

"If you and your roommate are both negative and have no fever or respiratory symptoms, you will be able to prepare for disembarkation," Japanese officials told passengers in a letter, adding it would take at least three days to process everyone.

For the travellers, this means a painful wait for test results, that can take several days to evaluate.

"We still need our test results, so we're holding off any celebration yet," US lawyer Matt Smith told AFP from on board. "The feeling is anxious."
In the first such evacuation on Sunday, more than 300 Americans flew home even though 14 of the passengers had tested positive. They were separated from others in a "special containment area."