A passenger wearing a face mask looks out from a cabin on the World Dream cruise ship, docked at the Kai Tak cruise terminal in Hong Kong on Feb 5, 2020, as health officials conduct inspections in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak. (PHILIP FONG / AFP)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong authorities quarantined a cruise ship for a second day on Thursday as they checked thousands of passengers and crew for the new coronavirus, forbidding anyone from disembarking to prevent further spreading of the epidemic.

Authorities said the World Dream’s roughly 1,800 crew members had all tested negative for the coronavirus, although 33 of them had respiratory tract infection symptoms 

Authorities said the World Dream’s roughly 1,800 crew members had all tested negative for the coronavirus, although 33 of them had respiratory tract infection symptoms of whom three had been sent to a hospital for isolation.

The roughly 1,800 passengers were now also being tested, said health official Chuang Shuk-kwan.

READ MORE: 3,600 on cruise ship face quarantine after reaching HK

It was not clear how long the 1,800 passengers and a similar number of staff would remain on board for.

The cruise ship, operated by Dream Cruises, docked in Hong Kong after it was denied entry to the Taiwan port of Kaohsiung on Tuesday. Authorities have now suspended Hong Kong’s two cruise terminals.

The special administrative region saw its first death from the virus on Tuesday. It has confirmed 24 cases as of Thursday, with many recent cases transmitted locally, authorities said.

ALSO READ: Taiwan bans international cruise ships from docking

The government has imposed a mandatory two week quarantine period for anyone entering the Asian financial hub from the Chinese mainland.