Lorraine Williamson
British and American passengers from the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius are being repatriated from Tenerife as the international evacuation of the cruise ship continues.
The hantavirus ship passengers are leaving Spain under controlled arrangements after the vessel reached the Canary Islands on Sunday. Spanish passengers were among the first to disembark, but the operation is now moving through other national groups.
At a glance: British and US passenger plans
- 22 British nationals are due to isolate at Arrowe Park Hospital near Liverpool.
- US passengers are expected to return to the National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska.
- Passengers are being moved on arranged transport, not commercial flights.
- Health agencies say the wider public risk remains very low.
British passengers to isolate in Merseyside
Reuters reported that 22 British nationals on board the MV Hondius will be repatriated to the UK and placed in isolation at Arrowe Park Hospital near Liverpool. UK health authorities said the group includes passengers and crew.
The Guardian reported the group includes 19 British passengers and three crew members. They are expected to undergo assessment and quarantine after returning to the UK.
UK health officials have said the public-health risk remains very low. However, returning passengers and crew are being asked to self-isolate for up to 45 days as a precaution.
Americans expected to return to Nebraska quarantine unit
US passengers are also included in the international repatriation effort.
ABC News reported that teams are preparing to bring Americans back to the National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska, a specialist facility used for high-consequence infectious disease monitoring.
The move places American passengers under similar controlled arrangements to those being used by European countries. The aim is to avoid commercial travel and reduce any possible risk during the incubation period.
Why passengers are not using normal flights
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has said all passengers on board are being treated as high-risk contacts as a precaution. That classification may be reviewed once they return to their home countries.
Asymptomatic passengers are expected to travel on specially arranged transport. They should not use commercial flights, according to the ECDC. Symptomatic passengers would need medical assessment and isolation.
That is why the evacuation is being handled country by country, rather than as a normal cruise disembarkation.
Spanish passengers leave first
The first group to leave the ship were Spanish nationals, who were taken ashore in Tenerife and flown to Madrid.
The Guardian reported that Spanish passengers were removed by medical teams in protective equipment before travelling onwards to quarantine.
Spanish authorities have said the operation is being carried out under strict health protocols, with passengers moved in stages according to nationality and repatriation arrangements.
Three deaths and confirmed cases linked to outbreak
The outbreak has been linked to three deaths, with several confirmed and suspected cases.
Reuters reported that the World Health Organization had confirmed six infections and two suspected cases. The virus involved has been identified as the Andes strain of hantavirus.
Hantavirus is usually linked to exposure to infected rodents. Some strains, including Andes hantavirus, can spread between people in rare cases through close contact. It does not spread in the same way as Covid.
Health officials stress low public risk
Despite the seriousness of the illness, health agencies have repeatedly stressed that the wider risk remains low if precautions are followed.
The World Health Organization has said the situation is not comparable to Covid. The UK Health Security Agency has also said the risk to the general public is very low.
That message is central to the repatriation operation. The aim is not to suggest a wider public threat, but to manage close contacts carefully and prevent further transmission.
Repatriation enters its next phase
For Tenerife, the arrival of the MV Hondius created a highly visible international health operation. For passengers, the next stage is more personal: quarantine, testing and waiting.
British and US passengers are now part of that wider movement from ship to specialist isolation, while other national groups are being moved under their own government arrangements.
The operation may continue into Monday. The key test now is whether each country can complete repatriation safely while keeping passengers, health workers and the public protected.