Diamond Princess: All guests have disembarked from the coronavirus-ridden cruise ship

Some crew remain on board the coronavirus-ridden Diamond Princess, but after almost a month all passengers are now off.

All passengers have now been evacuated from the coronavirus-stricken cruise ship – the Diamond Princess – after spending more than three weeks in quarantine.

In a statement, Princess Cruises confirmed that there a fewer than 500 team members on board.

“Princess Cruises can confirm that disembarkation of all guests aboard Diamond Princess is complete,” the company said.

“Specialists from the Princess Care Team and Family Assistance programs remain available to both guests and team members,” a statement from the company said.

Diana Headlam, left, of Hervey Bay, and Alana Hoskinson, right, of Launceston, were passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Picture: News Regional Media.

The crew members will be quarantined near Tokyo for two weeks and allowed to return home if they test negative to the virus.

The company said that specialists from the Princess Care Team and Family Assistance programs would remain available to guests and team members.

Crew who are not leaving by government charter flights will undergo further quarantine at a shoreside facility in Japan.

“This secondary quarantine is required by the Japan Ministry of Health, out of an abundance of caution, to ensure the health and wellbeing of each team member,” the company said in a statement.

“Aspen Medical will be operating under the direction of the Japan Ministry of Health, which is ultimately responsible for the quarantine.”

The cruise ship had more than 3,500 passengers from 56 countries on board. The quarantine period began in early February after the first reported case was identified.

Foreign governments including Australia, the UK and US repatriated its citizens last week. Australian authorities confirmed eight people, from the 164 evacuees, had tested positive for coronavirus. They were evacuated to their home states for medical treatment.

On Thursday, Scott Morrison announced a pandemic plan for Australia, including preparing to establish fever clinics and increasing medical stockpiles. The news followed a leading Australian virologist declaring that everyone will eventually contract the virus, but for most it will be merely a bad cold.

The rate of the virus transmission outside of China has rapidly increased this week. South Korea has recorded more than 1,700 people with the diseases, while Italy has 450 confirmed cases. There are more than 81,000 confirmed cases, with 2,772 deaths worldwide.