The five Dutch passengers on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has been hit by the coronavirus crisis, have all tested negative for the disease and are to be allowed to leave, the Dutch foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

The ship has been moored in the Japanese city of Yokohama for two weeks after the discovery that several passengers had been infected.

The total number of infections on board has now risen to 454 passengers and crew – or around 12% of the boat’s population. Passengers had been confined to their cabins for most of the day in an effort to stop the disease spreading.

Meanwhile, 29 Dutch people are still thought to be on board the Westerdam cruise liner, which is berthed in Cambodia with 233 passengers and 747 crew still on board.

An 83-year-old American woman who was on the cruise has tested positive for the virus, halting the evacuation of the ship.

Most passengers had disembarked before the woman was diagnosed with the disease, including the rest of the 89 Dutch tourists. The Dutch foreign ministry said on Monday it is in touch with 26 of them who are staying at a hotel in Cambodia but the rest are thought to have returned home already.

Quarantine

On Monday, 15 Dutch nationals and their partners who were flown home from the Chinese city of Wuhan have left quarantine after being declared free of coronavirus.

The group of 17 spent two weeks in isolation to prevent the spread of the virus. They were allowed to return home under strict conditions, though some opted to stay at a military facility at Huis ter Heide.