The cruise ship hit with hantavirus docked at Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday, and dozens of passengers were able to disembark.
Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions said the MV Hondius arrived at the port of Granadilla, Tenerife around 6:24 a.m. local time. Passengers are being flown back to the countries where they live.
In total, 14 people were evacuated to Madrid, five to France, four to Canada, 26 to the Netherlands, 22 to the United Kingdom, two to Ireland, and three to Turkey on Sunday, the Spanish Health Ministry said. Spanish authorities told CNN 17 American citizens, and one British national who lives in the U.S., disembarked the MV Hondius as well.
Two flights evacuating people to Australia and the Netherlands will leave on Monday, Spain’s Health Minister Mónica García said at a news conference.
Spanish nationals were the first to get off the ship, The Associated Press reported. They were taken to a military hospital and will be under quarantine.
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Officials from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said before the disembarkment none of the more than 140 people on MV Hondius were symptomatic.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu later said one French passenger on the MV Hondius exhibited symptoms on the repatriation flight back to his country.
Because of this, Lecornu said, the other five French passengers were placed into “strict isolation until further notice.”
“They are receiving medical care and will undergo testing and a full health assessment,” Lecornu said.
Personnel working at the port of Granadilla wore protective gear, such as face masks, hazmat suits and respirators while evacuating passengers, the AP wrote. Those disembarking were only allowed to take a small bag with items deemed essential, a cellphone, a charger and necessary documentation.
In a message to the people of Tenerife on Saturday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, acknowledged that people are scared about the hantavirus, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“But I need you to hear me clearly: this is not another COVID,” he said. “The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this unequivocally, and I will say it again to you now.”
Once the passengers and “limited” crew are disembarked, MV Hondius will get supplies in Santa Cruz, Tenerife before going to the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands with the remaining crew members, Oceanwide said. This trip is expected to take five days.
Around 147 people were on the cruise ship when the outbreak was first reported to the WHO earlier this month, and 34 had previously disembarked. Three passengers died.
The American cruise passengers will be taken to the National Quarantine Center at the University of Nebraska to be assessed before returning to their home states. It is the only federally funded quarantine unit in the U.S.
“We are prepared for situations exactly like this,” Dr. Michael Ash, CEO of Nebraska Medicine, said in a statement. “Our teams have trained for decades alongside federal and state partners to make sure we can safely provide care while protecting our staff and the broader community. We are proud to support this national effort.”
Passengers can expect an overall monitoring period of 42 days, a CDC official said in a call with reporters on Saturday, though this will “not necessarily” all take place in Nebraska.
“We will continue to assess and monitor the passengers. We’re coordinating with state and local health departments as well,” the CDC official said.
