The government is planning to allow elderly passengers as well as those with chronic illnesses to leave the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship soon, possibly on Tuesday, a source familiar with the matter said.

The move came a day after 65 more people aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the tally to 135.

All 65 passengers had left the ship for medical facilities by Tuesday afternoon, according to an announcement from inside the vessel that was recorded and posted to Twitter by another passenger. That announcement also appeared to confirm that the elderly and chronically ill were also leaving the ship, saying that guests who had "required medical attention" had disembarked.