Nearly a month after the first passenger died of hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius, the cruise ship arrived near the port of Granadilla in Tenerife's Canary Islands before dawn on Sunday. It did not dock immediately. Spanish authorities enforced a security perimeter of one nautical mile around the vessel as it approached the island.
Medical teams were expected to board the ship by around 07:00 local time to check all passengers and crew for signs of the virus. According to the BBC, the latest reports indicated nobody else was showing symptoms. Three passengers have died since the outbreak began, linked to a landfill site at the southern tip of Argentina that is popular with birdwatchers. The virus is carried by rodents in that area and rarely passes between people.
Spain's health minister, Mónica García, described the operation to prevent the rare Andes strain of the virus from spreading as unprecedented. The repatriation involves 23 countries. The UK, the United States, and multiple EU member states sent planes to Tenerife's local airport to fly their nationals home. Medically equipped aircraft were also placed on standby for anyone requiring isolation.
"The risk of contagion for the general population is low," García said Saturday. "We believe that alarmism, misinformation and confusion are contrary to the basic principles of preserving public health."
Spanish nationals are to be flown to Madrid and placed in mandatory quarantine at the Gomez Ulla military hospital. How long quarantine will last remains unclear. The hantavirus has an incubation period of up to nine weeks, making complete isolation a prolonged process.
Spain's military police and disaster response teams set up large reception tents at the port, an industrial facility in the south of Tenerife, and access to the waterfront was restricted. Once cleared by medical teams, passengers were to be divided by nationality and ferried to shore in small boats before boarding charter flights.
The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, traveled to Tenerife to oversee the disembarkation and praised the response. "Your concern is legitimate, because of the experience of Covid: that trauma is still in our minds," Tedros said, urging Spaniards to trust the authorities managing the evacuation.
The president of the Canary Islands has been among the most vocal local critics of the operation, stating he would not be calm until all passengers and crew had departed. Intensive preparations had been underway at the port ahead of the ship's arrival, with security measures increasing notably on Saturday as the vessel drew close.
