Sacramento Couple Stuck Aboard Diamond Princess Cruise Ship Amid 14-Day Coronavirus Quarantine

(CBS13) - Six more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan, bringing the number of infected passengers to 70.

We spoke to a Sacramento man who is on the ship with his wife. Matthew Smith showed off the view from his quarantined cruise ship room.

The Smiths sent CBS13 a video of Matthew wearing a mask as he stepped outside onto his balcony during the 14-quarantine. They began their vacation on January 20; it was only supposed to last 15 days.

"We're ready to get off of the boat and now they're telling us, 'No, you're not leaving your cabin let alone the ship for another two weeks,' It was a real shock," Matthew said via Skype.

Last Wednesday, the ship announced 10 people aboard had contracted the coronavirus, he said. The Princess Cruise company told CBS13 that the most recent numbers show there are now 70 passengers with coronavirus on the ship.

Matthew and his wife, Katherine, were docked in Yokahama, Japan. He told us that the room to his door is only opened when crew members in protective gear deliver food each day. These are the only people on the ship they come into contact with on a face-to-face basis.

Matthew says he doesn't know how other passengers are coping with the quarantine.

"It's really hard to tell the vibe because we don't interact," he said.

Before the cruise, Katherine stocked up on cleansers and disinfectants to help stay healthy. Still, the smallest cough or sneeze triggers a coronavirus concern.

"That actually does kind of linger at the moment; just a stuffy nose or a sinus for a moment or a cough. You can't help to have that run through your mind."

Matthew said he and Katherine are confident in the quarantine and that they will not contract the illness. Now, they're just waiting to get off the ship and be medically cleared.

"My part is, 'Well I can't do anything about that. If I've got it and it manifests, I'm just going to have to deal with it. But, I'm not going to let it affect my mood. Because if it never happens, then it was wasted mental energy," Matthew said.

The Smiths, both attorneys, have had had to push back some of the hearings for cases their law firm is handling. One of the things they wish they had more of is coffee.