Coronavirus: British man 'on his honeymoon' tests positive for disease on quarantined cruise ship in Japan

Princess Cruises said 41 people, including the Briton, had tested positive for the virus on the Diamond Princess, which is quarantined off Yokohama Bay in Japan.

The infected British passenger is believed to be on his honeymoon.

The announcement comes after a third person in the UK was diagnosed with coronavirus, and is believed to have caught the illness in Singapore.

It has been reported that this third patient is a middle-aged British man who is understood to be the first UK national to contract the disease.

A fellow passenger on the Diamond Princess said the British man who tested positive for the virus was on his honeymoon and will be separated from his new wife as he is taken off the ship for treatment.

David Abel said in a video update posted on Facebook that he had been dining with the man, who was not named.

He added: ‘He will almost certainly be leaving the ship today - real, real shame.

‘I have no idea how he must be feeling ... they're on their honeymoon.

‘He will be going off in to quarantine in a medical facility and she has to stay on board the ship because she's not displaying symptoms.

‘That's going to be really, really tough for him so just bear a thought for these passengers who just don't know what is going to be lying ahead of them.’

Princess Cruises said the quarantine on the ship was due to end on February 19, barring ‘unforeseen developments’.

In a statement, the company added: ‘Princess Cruises can confirm the nationalities of the 41 people who were tested positive for coronavirus are from Argentina (one); Australia (five); Canada (five), Japan (21); United Kingdom (one) and United States (eight).’

The latest diagnoses comes as as health experts issued a new warning to travellers arriving from several Asian countries.