Quarantine officials at a port near Tokyo have conducted a drill aimed at preventing the new coronavirus linked to a pneumonia outbreak in China from spreading in Japan.

About 100 personnel, including officials from the Yokohama quarantine station, Japan Coast Guard and police, took part in the exercise in Yokohama Bay.

The drill was based on the scenario that a passenger aboard a large cruise ship was diagnosed with a new type of influenza. Quarantine officials and doctors were seen covering the patient with special sheets to prevent the flu from spreading.

They also confirmed procedures to send the patient to hospital without delay.

As other passengers could test positive for the flu, officials checked if people have high fevers using thermography cameras that measure their surface temperatures.

Officials were also seen taking samples from those who were suspected of having caught the flu.

The drill comes amid a pneumonia outbreak in China, Last week, a resident of Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo was confirmed to have been infected after returning from a visit to China.

The head of the Yokohama quarantine station says he will work hard while joining efforts with related organizations to prevent little-known viruses, including the new strain of coronavirus linked to the pneumonia outbreak, from entering Japan.