The number of people infected with novel coronavirus on board the cruise ship quarantined off the Japanese coast has risen from 20 to 61, Japan's NHK broadcaster reported citing the Ministry of Health.
According to the outlet, passengers and crew members who showed symptoms such as fever, or were in close contact to others who were infected, were tested for the virus. Those newly infected will be transported to medical institutions in Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, and Shizuoka Prefectures, as well as Kanagawa Prefecture.
Japan's Health Minister Katsunobu Kato earlier advised that the ship would be quarantined for two weeks, and all passengers would be required to remain on board.
There are some 3,700 people on board the vessel, including 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew members, according to Princess Cruises.
The outbreak of pneumonia caused by a new strain of coronavirus originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei province last December and has since spread to more than 25 countries.
In mainland China, the virus has already left 636 people dead and over 31,000 infected. At least one fatality was registered outside China, in the Philippines.
