Initial tests have shown no coronavirus on a Carnival cruise ship that was blocked from leaving an Italian port. 

More than 6,000 tourists were left stranded on a cruise ship in Italy after a suspected case of coronavirus was detected on board.

Costa Smeralda was put on lockdown in Italy on Thursday as a precautionary measure after a tourist  54-year-old woman from Macau had earlier demonstrated fever and respiratory symptoms, similar to those of the deadly virus.

She has since been kept in isolation on board in the port of Civitavecchia, near Rome. 

Final results are expected later Thursday. 

As of Thursday 30 January, 2020, there were 170 reported deaths from the coronavirus, with 8,149 confirmed cases in China and 80 abroad.

China has stepped up efforts to tackle the spread of the virus and new infections, including constructing new hospitals to accommodate detected cases.

Earlier this week, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom, said that China deserved the international community’s gratitude and respect for having taken very serious measures to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak and prevent exporting cases overseas.

"The level of commitment (of the leadership) in China is incredible; I will praise China again and again, because its actions actually helped in reducing the spread of the novel coronavirus to other countries … we shall tell the truth and that’s the truth." Adhanom said.

Source: Bloomberg