London - Britons on a cruise ship in lockdown off the US coast due to the outbreak have begged the British government to bring them home.
And on Sunday the Foreign Office insisted it was arranging a flight for dozens of UK holidaymakers and staff stranded on the Grand Princess after a cluster of cases on board.
She is expected to dock in Oakland, California on Monday – but British passengers complained on Sunday night about being left in the dark.
The UK tourists, who may have to remain on board for several more days, described "prison-style" conditions, having been confined to their cabins since Thursday.
In an appeal to the British government, Jackie Bissell, one of the 142 Britons aboard, said: "Please try and get us home or at least get us tested to get us out of this room."
The grandmother, of Hartley, Kent, was enjoying a 70th birthday trip when the liner was quarantined. The panic was sparked when a 71-year-old man on a previous leg died after getting home. Another 75-year-old man has also died, and 21 others aboard have tested positive for coronavirus.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are working intensively with the US authorities on arrangements for a flight for British nationals on the Grand Princess."
The latest news on the Grand Princess is that passengers can expect to finally dock in the port of Oakland. According to the Guardian, the cruise liner has been circling off California for four days having been refused permission to land in San Francisco amid evidence that the vessel was the breeding ground for a cluster of more than 20 cases that resulted in at least one death.