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Concern deepened Thursday over the plight of over 3,700 people on board the Diamond Princess quarantined off Yokohama as 10 more cases of the new coronavirus were detected, raising the possibility of a nightmare scenario of a mass infection of people in a confined space, The Japan Times reported. 

The latest figure brings the total number of confirmed infections in Japan to 45, including the 20 people who have now tested positive on the cruise ship.

Of the 3,711 passengers and crew members, the health ministry has tested 273 people for the new virus, and is considering whether to test more.

Hiroko Otsubo, deputy director-general at the health ministry, said all of the 10 people verified to have the disease Thursday are passengers and all are showing symptoms. They were taken to hospitals in Kanagawa Prefecture.

“We’ll continue quarantine procedures as we ask passengers to stay inside the ship for a necessary period, to take precautionary actions to prevent infection and stay inside their rooms,” Otsubo said.