A British couple have tested positive for coronavirus on a cruise ship where they have been posting video blogs on social media.
David Abel revealed on Tuesday that he and his wife Sally were told they are infected with the flu-like virus after two weeks trapped on the quarantined Diamond Princess in Yokohama, Japan.
At least six Britons are among 542 people who have been diagnosed on the ship, as the Foreign Office prepares to rescue the UK nationals who haven't been infected.
Mr Abel, from Woodford Halse, Northamptonshire, wrote on Facebook: "There is going to be a time of quiet. We have been proved positive and leaving for hospital soon. Blessings all."
But he later told friends he didn't believe the results, writing: "Frankly i think this is a setup! We are NOT being taken to a hospital but a hostel. That’s where partners are sent waiting out there quarantine.
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"No phone, no wi-fi and no medical facilities. I really am smelling a very big rat here! Waiting for the transfer now."
He told a friend: "I doubt it was positive. If it was, we would be in hospital."
Mr Abel, 74, wrote that he and his wife - who were on the cruise to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary - would be removed from the ship together but they might be separated once they arrive at the hostel.
In previous videos and social media posts, the couple had criticised the UK Government and urged it to rescue the Britons trapped on board the ship, even appealing to Virgin billionaire Sir Richard Branson for help.
David Abel's blog update on Monday:
The Abels' son, Steve, said the conditions on the quarantined vessel were making it difficult for his father to manage his diabetes and that he is also suffering from a tooth infection.
Steve added he could hear his father vomiting in the bathroom the last time he spoke to his mother on the phone but believed it might be due to "shock" rather than a symptom of the disease.
"The quarantine in Japan has been a failure, that is obvious, so (my parents) are obviously going to have to go through it again," Steve Abel said.
"I would like them to go through it here where the food is more suitable for my dad."
But he added: "I'm not actually that worried about the virus - looking at the recovery stats.
"It is more about the stress, the diet."
When asked about the Government's treatment of his parents, Steve Abel described it as "appalling".
"They haven't done anything," he said.
"They aren't communicating with us, the Foreign Office have my number, my wife's number, my brother's number, my sister's number and they haven't got back to us on anything and we have been calling them every day for four or five days."
Steve Abel told BBC Breakfast: "They are very high-spirited people.
"There are cracks in the armour and they are getting down.
"My mum breaks down in tears frequently, my dad is short-tempered.
"They are not getting any communication from our country, so they are in the dark and feeling very unloved."
Alan Steele, from Wolverhampton, was the first Briton to test positive for coronavirus on the ship, which was carrying 3,700 passengers to places such as Hong Kong, Vietnam and Japan.
He revealed he is due to be discharged from a Tokyo hospital on Wednesday, writing on Facebook: "Well have just had great news.i get out of this prison cell tomorrow whoooopey."
The 58-year-old driver was on his honeymoon with his wife Wendy Marshall Steele, who has tested negative and remains trapped on the ship.
Mr Steele wrote that the first thing he wants to do is go to McDonald's for a meal, and he will get a hotel room and wait for his wife to be released from quarantine.
The newlywed had earlier criticised the Government in Facebook posts from his hospital bed.
After the Abels tested positive, he wrote: "Well at this rate boris [Johnson] does not have the expense of sending a aircraft as all brits will be in hospital."
He joked: "I will need a cruise to get over this lmao."
The Diamond Princess has been in quarantine at a port in Yokohama for two weeks due to an outbreak of the illness, also known as Covid-19.
The Abels' positive test result came as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) was organising a flight back to the UK for British nationals on board the ship.
The department has faced pressure to fly home the 74 Britons on the Diamond Princess after the US chartered two planes and repatriated 340 of its citizens.
The Foreign Office said in an updated statement on Tuesday afternoon: "We have the utmost concern for the British people currently on the cruise ship.
"We are ensuring those who have been diagnosed with coronavirus receive the best possible care in Japan and are organising a flight back to the UK for other British nationals on the Diamond Princess as soon as possible."
Earlier, a Number 10 spokesman said those on board the ship were being contacted about the possibility of a repatriation flight.
On Tuesday, the Japanese Health Ministry confirmed 88 more people on board have been diagnosed with the illness, bringing the total to 542.
The Abels are the fifth and sixth Britons to test positive on the ship. Four others with confirmed coronavirus are currently in hospital in Japan, according to the latest official figures.
The data comes after Sir Richard Branson said Virgin Atlantic was "in discussions" with the Government over whether he could help those stranded.
He responded via Twitter to an appeal from Mr and Mrs Abel, who asked the British businessman and philanthropist to charter a special plane.
Sir Richard wrote: "@VirginAtlantic does not fly to Japan, but we are in discussions with the UK government and seeing if there is anything we can do to help."
Princess Cruises president Jan Swartz said the firm has worked with authorities to send more doctors and nurses on board the ship and has helped fulfil 2,000 prescription requests.
However, there is still uncertainty over whether passengers will be able to leave the ship at the end of the 14-day quarantine period on Wednesday.
The ship was put in quarantine after a former passenger - an 80-year-old Hong Kong man who disembarked in late January - tested positive for SARS-like coronavirus.
Medics in protective suits began testing passengers and the number of infected guests and crew has steadily increased since the first positive test results.
Meanwhile, the Government has block-booked the Holiday Inn Heathrow Ariel hotel as a potential quarantine zone for international visitors to the UK who develop coronavirus, or for Britons evacuated from overseas.
As of Monday afternoon, 4,501 people in total have now been tested for Covid-19 in the UK, of which nine have come back positive.
The death toll in mainland China rose by 98 to 1,868, in figures announced early on Tuesday morning, while the number of people infected globally stands at 72,436, according to the country's National Health Commission.
