A day-long operation to repatriate passengers and crew from the MV Hondius cruise ship struck by hantavirus neared completion late Sunday with 94 people flown home from Spain’s Canary Islands. Three passengers have died from the outbreak that began after the vessel departed Argentina in April. Health officials stressed the risk to the public remains low.
Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia announced the evacuation of 94 people of 19 nationalities on Sunday from the port of Granadilla on Tenerife. Passengers in protective suits boarded army buses for flights to their home countries, with final repatriations to Australia and the Netherlands scheduled for Monday afternoon.
The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius is set to depart for Rotterdam at 7:00 pm local time on Monday carrying around 30 crew members after refueling. Among them are 14 Filipino crew with deck and engine roles who will sail the ship, while 24 others disembark for a 42-day quarantine in the Netherlands.
The World Health Organization confirmed the Andes virus strain capable of human-to-human transmission and recommended 42-day quarantines with daily symptom checks. Officials including WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized this is not another Covid-19 and that global public health risk is low.
