Coronavirus: Princess Cruises boss under fire for blowing kisses at ship where two have died and 3,000 have been quarantined for weeks

The president of Princess Cruises welcomed a coronavirus-quarantined ship by blowing kisses and making heart signs, captured on a video set to upbeat music and posted on social media the same day as reports of the deaths of two passengers had surfaced.

In a video posted to the company's social media on Wednesday, Jan Swartz is seen wearing a surgical mask and forming heart hands over her head as the cruise ship finally begins to disembark after its passengers were forced to remain at a port in Yokohama, Japan for several weeks following a shipwide outbreak of the flu-like respiratory virus.

The message says: "In a continued effort to support our #DiamondPrincess guests and crew, our President Jan Swartz personally welcomed those disembarking in Yokohama today. The entire Princess family is with each and every one of you during this time."

On Wednesday, officials with the Japanese Ministry of Health confirmed the on-board deaths of an 87-year-old man and an 84-year-old woman, both stricken with the latest coronavirus that has claimed more than 2,000 lives and sickened thousands of others around the globe. Both had other health issues, officials said.

Roughly 600 passengers who tested negative for the virus were allowed to leave the ship on Wednesday amid criticism that the the ship did not do enough to contain the outbreak.

Another 600 people who were on board the ship have tested positive for the virus, accounting for nearly 20 per cent of the ship's 3,700 passengers and crew members.

Hours before their scheduled departure, officials confirmed 79 additional cases onboard.

Before the end of their quarantine on the ship, more than 300 Americans were evacuated by US officials and placed in US quarantine for two weeks in military bases in California and Texas.

Fourteen of those passengers tested positive for infection and were hospitalised.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 60 Americans remain onboard the ship and are prevented from flying into the US until at least two weeks after they leave the ship.

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