Report: 24 Americans on cruise infected

At least 24 Americans are among the 135 people aboard a cruise ship in Japan who have been infected with the novel coronavirus, according to a CNN report. The Diamond Princess, with 3,700 passengers and crew on board, is now halfway through a two-week quarantine begun Feb 3 in the port of Yokohama.

Japanese health officials are still testing those aboard the ship. With the latest reports of new cases on board, which have doubled since the quarantine began, Japan is now home to the largest number of cases of the coronavirus outside the Chinese mainland.

The New York Times reported that Japan's Health Ministry has not publicly confirmed the sharp rise in cases, although it has done so almost daily since the quarantine began a week ago. Monday's rise in cases was the largest yet.

"Lots of the passengers now are getting a bit of cabin fever," British passenger David Able said in a video posted on Facebook. "Depression is starting to set in."

The Times also reported that local authorities in Yokohama have tested several hundred passengers who were believed to be at particular risk for the virus, but as the number of cases has risen, some passengers have called for everyone on board to be screened.

Meanwhile in the US, five of the evacuees who were flown to California on two chartered flights from Wuhan were showing symptoms of the coronavirus, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday.

According to officials, the patients were from different planes chartered by the US State Department that arrived at Travis Air Force Base near Sacramento on Feb 7 with 178 passengers aboard. Nearly all are US citizens, although some may be immediate family members.

The evacuees are being housed in on-base hotels, separated from the rest of the base by fencing and US marshals. Their temperatures are monitored throughout the day, and anyone showing symptoms is taken to a local hospital. The US evacuees were told they'd have to cover the costs of the flight and quarantine. The flight alone would cost about $1,000 before other costs are factored in.

On Friday, hundreds more people were evacuated from China and began to arrive at military bases in San Diego, California; San Antonio, Texas; and Omaha, Nebraska, to begin a 14-day quarantine and to be monitored for any signs of illness.

US officials said at a news conference in Washington on Friday that more than 800 people have been brought to the US from Wuhan on recent flights.

In addition to the 12 confirmed cases of coronavirus that have appeared in six US states, the CDC reported that the status of 68 suspected cases is still pending as of Monday.

All 12 cases were recent visitors to China, or the travelers' immediate family members. The majority — eight — are men. All are adults: Four are in their 20s or their 30s; one is over 40; and six are in their 50s or their 60s.

As of early Tuesday, there had been 42,714 confirmed cases reported in China and 1,017 deaths, as well as more than 300 cases in 24 other countries, including one death.

The New York Times reported that the more than 2,500 passengers on board the Diamond Princess have been instructed to stay in their cabins. Meals are brought to their cabins by crew.

Another cruise ship, Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas, was allowed to leave port from Bayonne, New Jersey, on Monday after fears of a coronavirus infection kept it docked for almost two days, according to the cruise line.

The Bermuda-bound ship was cleared for departure after a family of four who'd taken ill were discharged from the hospital after testing negative for the coronavirus, according to a statement from New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.

Reuters contributed to this story.