Coronavirus: 142 Britons stranded on cruise ship off Californian coast

Almost 150 Britons are stranded on board another Princess Cruises vessel off the coast of California as tests are carried out for suspected cases of coronavirus.

The cruise operator said groups of guests and crew were being tested for Covid-19, after a passenger on an earlier voyage died and at least one other became infected.

It confirmed that 142 UK nationals – made up of 121 passengers and 21 crew – were on board the Grand Princess, which was carrying a total of 3,533 people.

Princess added that there had so far been no confirmed cases of Covid-19 on board, and that fewer than 100 people had been identified for testing.

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“Public health officials have advised that no guests will be permitted to disembark until all results have been received,” it said.

“Out of an abundance of caution, all guests who have been identified for testing have been asked to remain in their staterooms.”

Japanese authorities said last week that a British tourist who had been on board another of the company’s cruise ships, the Diamond Princess – which was quarantined in Japan – had died after contracting coronavirus.

On Thursday, a patient with underlying health conditions became the first person in the UK to die after also testing positive for the virus.