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In brief
- Spanish authorities are preparing to evacuate passengers aboard a luxury cruise ship that had a deadly hantavirus outbreak.
- Several countries have sent planes to repatriate their citizens, with passengers to be under quarantine measures.
Countries around the world are gearing up to evacuate their nationals from a luxury cruise ship impacted by a deadly strain of hantavirus. The ship is set to dock near the Canary Islands, though health authorities have assured that the risk of the virus spreading is minimal.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided guidance to member states on how to effectively manage the situation for their citizens on board. Passengers will undergo active monitoring for 42 days following their last point of exposure, as part of the recommended protocol.
In a public letter shared on social media platform X, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized, “This is not another COVID. The present public health threat from hantavirus is low.” The statement was released to alleviate growing public concern.
The WHO has taken this extraordinary step to communicate directly with the public, aiming to address any anxieties surrounding the situation.
Evacuation plans involve transporting passengers to Granadilla’s industrial port, distant from populated areas. They will be transferred in sealed, securely escorted vehicles along a completely isolated route, and subsequently repatriated to their home countries. “You will not encounter them,” Tedros reassured.
The luxury cruise ship MV Hondius left for Spain on Wednesday from the coast of Cape Verde off the west coast of Africa after the WHO and European Union asked the country to manage the evacuation of passengers onboard after the hantavirus, which typically begins with flu-like symptoms, was detected.
Usually, the virus is spread by rodents but can in rare cases be transmitted person-to-person.
The WHO on Friday said that eight people had fallen ill, including three who died — a Dutch couple and a German national.
Six of these people are confirmed to have contracted the virus, with another two suspected cases, the WHO has said.
The ship is expected to anchor near the island early Sunday morning, local time.
Local authorities have said the evacuation must take place between midday Sunday midday and around the same time Monday before conditions at sea are expected to become stormier for the rest of the month.
Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands will send planes to evacuate their citizens aboard the Tenerife-bound cruise ship, Spain’s interior minister said in Madrid on Saturday.
The European Union is sending two further planes for the remaining European citizens, Fernando Grande-Marlaska added. The US and UK have confirmed planes and contingency plans were being arranged for non-EU citizens whose countries were unable to send air transport, he said.
British passengers and staff on the cruise ship will be taken to a hospital in northwest England for an initial isolation period once they are repatriated, UK health authorities said on Saturday.
US nationals will be sent to Nebraska for quarantine and testing, travel blogger Jake Rosmarin, who is on board the ship, posted on social media.
All passengers, as well as 17 crew members, will be evacuated, but 30 crew will stay on board and travel on to the Netherlands, Spain’s health minister Monica Garcia said.
Luggage and the body of a deceased passenger on the ship will remain on board and the ship will be fully disinfected on arrival, she added.
Spanish citizens will disembark first, with the order of evacuation of the remaining groups of citizens to be determined by health authorities. Citizens will not be able to disembark until their evacuation plane is ready to depart, Grande-Marlaska said.
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