Melbourne woman stranded in Japan with coronavirus makes plea to come home

A Melbourne woman has made an emotional plea for the Australian government to bring her home amid being stranded in Japan with the deadly coronavirus.

Speaking from her hospital bed to 9News, Bianca held back tears as she begged for Australian authorities to give her answers on when she could return home.

The 21-year-old tested positive to coronavirus while on a family holiday onboard cruise ship the Diamond Princess on February 5.

The family-of-four were then forced to disembark the ship and be quarantined in hospital two hours from the port of Yokohama.

"My mum and dad fought to come with me because I couldn't have gone on my own," Bianca said.

"It's terrifying because you don't know what is going to happen.

"I just want to come home."

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The Diamond Princess has 3,700 passengers and crew onboard, with 174 cases of coronavirus detected.

It is believed that four Australians are among the 40 newest cases diagnosed.

Nine News understands passengers were given thermometers to monitor their health after a Hong Kong man onboard was first diagnosed with the deadly virus.

According to the 21-year-old, claustrophobia rose when passengers were required to be cooped up inside their cabins for about seven days during the outbreak.

Bianca said when her temperature rose to 37.6 degrees, doctors immediately tested her for the virus.

"I got a lot of headaches initially, when I was told we were quarantined, I started feeling hot with a fever," she said.

"But other than that I feel fine … it just feels like I have a cold."

Her family members were lucky enough to escape contracting the virus, but remain in observation wards at the hospital.

Bianca said if all four of them were cleared from the virus after 12 days they could return to Australia.

But she claimed her family had been left in the dark, receiving little to no communication from authorities about travelling back home.

"No one has said a word - my parents have emailed them they haven't got anything back," she said.

Back home, Bianca's grandparents Peter and Ann spoke of their fear about their granddaughter being stranded in Japan.

"We are absolutely distraught – the both of us," Peter said.

"We can't sleep, we can't talk, we can't think - we don't know what to do because our hands are tied."

Peter said his family felt "ostracised and upset" as they faced a very challenging language barrier overseas.

"I need the government to get them back to Australia," he said.