Spanish citizens were the first to disembark the MV Hondius, which is currently anchored near Tenerife, the largest island in the Spanish archipelago off the West African coast. The vessel arrived just hours prior.
So far, none of the 140-plus individuals aboard the Hondius have displayed any symptoms of the virus, according to Spain’s health ministry, the World Health Organization (WHO), and cruise line Oceanwide Expeditions.
During the evacuation process, those disembarking, along with personnel at the Granadilla port in Tenerife, were seen wearing protective equipment such as masks, hazmat suits, and respirators.
“The operation is proceeding smoothly,” stated Spanish Health Minister Mónica García.
Also Read: ‘This is not COVID, it spreads very, very differently’: WHO on Hantavirus
Passengers and some crew members from over 20 different nationalities will be evacuated continuously from Sunday into Monday.
After arriving in Madrid, those on the first flight will undergo quarantine, as per Spanish health officials. Only the 14 Spanish nationals will continue their quarantine in the country.
Officials have indicated that disembarking passengers and crew members will be screened for symptoms, will have no contact with the local population, and will only leave the ship when evacuation flights are ready to transport them to their final destinations. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, along with Spain’s health and interior ministers, is overseeing the operation in Tenerife.
Pope Leo XIV expressed gratitude to the Canary Islands for facilitating the arrival of the Hondius.
Hantavirus typically spreads when individuals inhale particles contaminated by rodent droppings and is not easily transmittable between humans. However, the Andes virus linked to the cruise ship outbreak could potentially spread between individuals in rare instances. Symptoms generally manifest within one to eight weeks following exposure.
Since the outbreak began, three individuals have died, and five passengers who departed the vessel have been diagnosed with hantavirus, which can lead to severe illness.
Also Read: WHO confirms six hantavirus cases associated with Spain-bound cruise
Passengers and crew members leaving the ship are leaving their larger luggage behind and are only permitted to carry a small bag with essential items, a cellphone, a charger, and identification.
Some crew members, along with the body of a passenger who passed away on board, will remain on the ship, which will proceed to Rotterdam, Netherlands, for disinfection, according to Spanish officials.
The estimated travel time to Rotterdam is about five days, as reported by the cruise company.
The United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands will deploy planes to evacuate their nationals. American passengers will be quarantined at a medical facility in Nebraska.
Twenty-nine individuals will be on the Dutch charter flight, comprising Dutch citizens and other nationalities, as announced by the Dutch Foreign Ministry.
Five French passengers will be repatriated on Sunday and will be hospitalized for 72 hours for monitoring, after which they will quarantine at home for 45 days, as stated by France’s Foreign Ministry.
UK passengers and crew will be hospitalized for observation once they return home, according to British authorities.
Australia will send a plane, expected to arrive Monday, to evacuate its citizens as well as those from nearby countries like New Zealand, according to García. This plane will be the last to depart from Tenerife, she noted.
Norway has dispatched an ambulance plane to Tenerife, equipped with trained personnel for transporting high-risk infection patients, as reported by its Directorate for Civil Protection to public broadcaster NRK.
The ambulance aircraft is managed by Norway but owned by the European Union.
British Army medics have parachuted into the isolated South Atlantic territory of Tristan da Cunha, where one of the 221 residents is suspected of having hantavirus.
The individual was a passenger on the MV Hondius and disembarked last month.
The UK defense ministry reported that a squad of six paratroopers and two medical professionals parachuted in on Saturday from a Royal Air Force transport aircraft, which also delivered oxygen and medical supplies.
Tristan da Cunha, Britain’s most isolated inhabited overseas territory, is roughly 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) from the nearest populated island, St. Helena. This group of volcanic islands lacks an airstrip and is typically accessible only via a six-day boat journey from Cape Town, South Africa.
In related news, a Spanish woman in the southeastern province of Alicante, suspected of being infected, has tested negative for hantavirus, according to Spanish health authorities on Saturday.
This woman was on the same flight as the Dutch woman who died in Johannesburg after returning from the cruise ship.
