The Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius, hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, arrived near the Port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Canary Islands, early Sunday, escorted by a Civil Guard vessel, according to VesselFinder data.
The ship had departed for Tenerife on Wednesday from Cape Verde after the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union asked Spain to manage the evacuation of passengers following the detection of the hantavirus outbreak.
The WHO reported Friday that at least eight people on board had fallen ill, including three deaths – a Dutch couple and a German national. Six cases are confirmed to have contracted the virus, with two additional suspected cases.
Europe's public health agency classified all passengers as high-risk contacts as a precaution. In Tenerife, Spanish health authorities will test them to ensure they remain asymptomatic, then transport them ashore in small boats.
Sealed-off buses will take passengers to the island's main airport, about 10 minutes away, where they will board flights to their respective countries. Evacuation is expected to begin between 7:30 and 8:30 am local time.
Spanish nationals will disembark first, followed by other nationalities in groups. Thirty crew members will remain on board and sail to the Netherlands, where the ship will be disinfected.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in Tenerife Saturday evening to coordinate the response, assuring locals that "this is not another Covid." WHO expert Maria Van Kerkhove stated that the risk to the general public remains low.
Local life appeared largely normal, with residents expressing limited concern. Lottery vendor David Parada told AFP: "There are worries there could be a danger, but honestly, I don't see people being very concerned."
The MV Hondius departed Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 for a transatlantic cruise to Cape Verde. Argentine health official Juan Petrina said there was an "almost zero chance" the Dutch man contracted the disease in Ushuaia based on incubation period.
Health authorities in several countries are tracking passengers who already disembarked. A KLM flight attendant who contacted an infected passenger tested negative for hantavirus.
A woman in eastern Spain is being tested after developing symptoms. Two Singapore residents tested negative but remain in quarantine. British authorities reported a suspected case on Tristan da Cunha, where the ship stopped on April 15.
Source: www.aljazeera.com