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19 Feb 2020

British passengers on coronavirus cruise ship await evacuation

Foreign Affairs Correspondent

Hundreds of people who spent more than two weeks on board a quarantined cruise liner have been allowed to leave.

More than 620 people on the Diamond Princess have now tested positive for the coronavirus.

But the Foreign Office says the Britons on board will be quarantined for another two weeks in the NHS.

Everyone on board the ship had been in quarantine to try to contain the spread of the virus, also known as COVID-19, but some experts say the ship has become a perfect incubator for the illness.