As more people test positive for coronavirus on board a quarantined cruise ship near Tokyo, Australians trapped on board have questioned if the Federal Government has an "exit plan" for them.
The 223 Australian passengers on the Diamond Princess are scheduled to end 14 days of quarantine next Wednesday but have received little information about what happens next.
Many were forced to cancel commercial flights and it is unclear if they will be required to self-quarantine in Australia, , or enter another type of quarantine.
"The main thing we are not sure about at the moment is what is going to happen at the end of the quarantine," Australian passenger Aun Na Tan told SBS News on Thursday.
Aun Na Tan's family on board the ship. Source: Supplied
Ms Tan is on board the ship with her husband and two teenage children, who have all been instructed to stay in their cabin together since last Wednesday.
She said the Australian Embassy in Tokyo had told them it was "working with Princess Cruises, the Department of Health as well as border security in Australia to work out what our plan will be when we come back".
Aun Na Tan talks to SBS News on Thursday. Source: SBS News
"We want to know if we can all get one commercial flight home [and] will we end up in another quarantine?
"We've been told they're working on a plan, they're trying to sort out some clear exit plan for us."
Forty-four more cases
Japan's health ministry said on Thursday 44 more people on the ship had tested positive for the virus.
It said 218 of the 713 people tested on board have now been infected, taking the total number of confirmed cases in Japan to 247.
Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told reporters that five of the patients sent to hospitals earlier have severe symptoms, are on artificial respirators or under intensive care.
He also said the government has decided to allow passengers older than 80 to get off the ship if they wish to do so, after testing negative for the virus.
Results of tests on about 200 eligible passengers are underway, and those with chronic health problems or in cabins without operable windows will be given priority.
The ship was caught up in the global coronavirus epidemic after an 80-year-old Hong Kong man tested positive for the virus after disembarking late last month.
'We've got each other'
Ms Tan said the ship's staff was working hard to keep passengers safe and happy.
She said movies and trivia were available in their room, and the staff had been "handing out puzzle pages and sudoku to help keep our minds occupied".
And they are occasionally allowed outside the cabin for short periods of time.
"We've got food, we've got entertainment, we've got each other," she said.
People on board the ship. Source: Supplied
"We're trying to stay as positive as we can."
Additional reporting by AAP
