Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has increased the amount of funds allocated to battling the outbreak of novel coronavirus to 28 billion HK dollars (about 3.6 billion U.S. dollars), Chief Executive Carrie Lam said at a media briefing on Tuesday. 

Last Friday, Lam announced a package of relief measures for businesses and residents suffering from the COVID-19 outbreak and a proposal for allocating 25 billion HK dollars (3.22 billion U.S. dollars) for the fight against the epidemic. 

At Tuesday's press briefing, Lam also said the HKSAR will send two chartered flights to Tokyo on Wednesday to bring back 352 of its residents currently under quarantine aboard Diamond Princess, a cruise ship in Japan. But she was uncertain whether the planes would be able to leave Japan as scheduled. 

"Can the Japanese authorities complete all the testing by the 19th of February? That's a key factor," she said. "And also it depends on whether the Japanese authorities are going to arrange for all Hong Kong residents to disembark in one go on that day."

The evacuees will undergo a 14-day compulsory quarantine at quarantine centers upon their arrival in Hong Kong, she added. 

"We would like to thank our embassy (Chinese Embassy) in Tokyo for giving us full support," the HKSAR leader said, also thanking the Chinese Foreign Ministry for helping with the liaison with Japan. 

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Some 3,700 passengers and crew aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship have been kept in quarantine since early February after the outbreak. Japanese authorities said the passengers will be allowed to disembark the ship if they test negative and show no health problems when the quarantine period ends on Wednesday. 

The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the ship has reached 454, including 30 Hong Kong residents.