Passengers have started leaving the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan, after testing negative for the Covid-19 virus.

According to AFP, about 500 passengers were allowed to disembark after a 14-day quarantine period came to an end on Wednesday (Feb. 19)

At least 542 passengers and crew members have been infected onboard the cruise ship, which makes it the largest cluster outside mainland China.

Disembarking process will take place over several days

Only passengers who have been tested negative for the virus and did not show any symptoms during the quarantine period will be allowed to leave the ship, according to BBC.

Passengers who have tested negative but were in cabins with infected people will have to remain on board for additional quarantine.

According to Japanese media, the disembarking process will take place over several days, with an estimated 500 people expected to disembark on Feb. 19.

Passengers begin leaving coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise liner as quarantine ends https://t.co/5zNVHkoRE2 pic.twitter.com/PllwtqtoPb

— SimpleNews.co.uk (@Simplenewsuk) February 19, 2020

QUARANTINE IS OVER. Passengers of the Diamond Princess cruise ship have started to disembark in Yokohama, Japan after their quarantine period due to #COVID19. Athit Perawongmetha, Reuters pic.twitter.com/tO8onFEsGL

— ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) February 19, 2020

AFP reported that passengers with no symptoms and a negative test received an official certificate saying that they posed "no risk of infection of nCoV, as the said person has also presented no symptoms including fever at the time of infection".

Onboard quarantine may have led to secondary infections

However, the onboard quarantine have received some criticism, with some raising concerns about allowing people from the cruise ship to board flights home or to spread out into the rest of Japan.

Kentaro Iwata, a professor at the infectious diseases division of Kobe University, criticised the onboard quarantine, stating that it was "highly likely secondary infections occurred".

Several countries, such as Britain and Australia, have pledged to repatriate their citizens from the ship, although they will insist on a further 14-day quarantine after their citizens return to home soil.

300 Americans have also been evacuated from the ship on Monday (Feb. 17), despite 14 of the passengers testing positive.

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Top image from Japan Travel.