TOKYO: A sense of unease is increasing among passengers aboard a cruise ship quarantined for a new coronavirus off the coast of Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo.

Health minister Katsunobu Kato said Wednesday that about 3,700 passengers and crew members are being asked to stay aboard the ship, the Diamond Princess, for 14 days in principle for screening. The measure came after 10 people on board tested positive for the virus.

"My antihypertensive drugs will run out tomorrow," Yasuhito Hirasawa, a 64-year-old passenger and executive of an organization from the western Japan city of Osaka, said in a telephone interview with Jiji Press.

"There are elderly people and diabetic patients among passengers on board," he said, expressing concerns over the fate of the people on the ship.

The ship has been anchored off the coast of Yokohama since Monday night, after a Hong Kong man was found to be infected with the virus after getting off the ship in Hong Kong on Jan. 25.

According to Hirasawa, there was an on-board announcement Wednesday morning asking passengers to stay inside their rooms, although they were able to use lobbies and other common spaces until Tuesday night.

"As I'm with my wife, I can talk to her, but it would be difficult for those who are on the ship alone to stay locked in their rooms," he said.

"We only know that we will be able to get off the ship in 14 days at the earliest, but we don't know anything about what would happen if an additional case of the virus is confirmed on the ship," he said.

Hirasawa said, "It is hard to spend two weeks being stuck in the ship," where there are rooms without a window or a balcony.

In a social media posting about the situation inside the ship, another passenger said, "Breakfast was delivered, with a crew member wearing a face mask."

"I want to know what will happen from now," the passenger said, asking whether this would be "14 days on the ship doing nothing?"

The passenger posted an on-board announcement that said, "Please refrain from going out of guest rooms, in line with instructions from quarantine authorities."

"There will be a series of difficult challenges, including winning the understanding of all passengers from dozens of countries on the need to stay on the ship," the passenger said, adding that "we can only rely on the news and internet sites as sources of information."

The operator of the cruise ship said Wednesday that it will provide internet and phone services free of charge to the passengers on the ship to help them communicate with people outside.

The company said it will boost efforts to help all passengers be comfortable. But the company did not disclose details, including who will shoulder the cost of their stay on the ship.

JIJI Press