Thousands of tourists - many wearing masks or hazmat suits - were scrambling to return home from the Phnom Penh Airport in Cambodia this morning (March 22) amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic.

The Southeast Asian country is a popular destination for backpackers from the UK, U.S and Australia, Chinese holidaymakers and cruise ship passengers.

However, many tourists are desperate to return to their home countries as quickly as possible amid increasing numbers of flight cancellations due to government travel bans and plunging passenger numbers. 

David Wilson, from Lincolnshire, said him and wife Maureen were on a cruise but they disembarked in Phnom Penh a few days ago in order to avoid the risk of a Covid-19 outbreak on their ship.

He said: ''There are many older couples who are in a similar situation. We just wanted off as quickly as possible so we spent some time here. Now we just need to get home before flights are cancelled.''

Cambodia's Ministry of Health declared four new cases of people testing positive for symptoms of the Chinese coronavirus in the country, brining its number of infections to 51.

Passengers arriving from France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Spain or USA are not allowed to enter Cambodia. 

In neighbouring Thailand, British Ambassador Brian Davidson, said flight availability to return to the UK was becoming ''very busy''.

He added: ''It is very likely that flights will start to be reduced and in some cases, airlines will no longer offer services to Thailand.''