Spain Evacuates Passengers From Dutch-Flagged MV Hondius in Tenerife After Hantavirus Outbreak

Spain began evacuating passengers from the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius anchored off Tenerife in the Canary Islands after a hantavirus outbreak, with the first plane carrying passengers departing Tenerife for Madrid to go to a military hospital.

Health Minister Mónica García said the operation was "proceeding normally" and that all passengers on board the MS Hondius were still asymptomatic, as the first evacuation took place with passengers in white medical face masks.

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The ship arrived near the Port of Granadilla in Tenerife earlier on Sunday, and Spanish health officials boarded the vessel just before midday to conduct a final check and begin evacuating passengers.

The WHO said on Friday that at least eight people on the ship had fallen ill, including three who died, and that six of these people are confirmed to have contracted the virus with another two suspected cases.

The evacuation process involved passengers being divided into groups by nationality and taken by bus to the local airport for charter planes to repatriate them to their home countries, with the last evacuation flight expected to leave for Australia on Monday.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived in Tenerife to oversee the disembarking and told the people of Tenerife, "This is not another COVID."

Tedros also wrote, "I need you to hear me clearly," as he thanked Tenerife residents for their solidarity and said the risk to them from the ship was low.

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NBC News reported that WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu told reporters after the plane departed, "The risk to the public is low," adding, "So they shouldn’t be scared and they shouldn’t panic."

The WHO’s epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention director Maria Van Kerkhove said passengers and crew would be kept cordoned off from the public ahead of repatriation flights and that the WHO is recommending "active monitoring and follow-up" for all passengers and crew for 42 days from their "last point of exposure" to a confirmed case.

The evacuation plan also included that the ship would continue on to Rotterdam in the Netherlands for disinfection, while 30 crew members would remain on board to sail to the Netherlands.

After reaching Madrid, Spanish nationals would be under quarantine at the Gomez Ulla military hospital, while the first plane carrying 14 Spanish passengers departed Tenerife for Madrid shortly afterward.

The WHO recommended a 42-day quarantine for all passengers from the boat, and Maria Van Kerkhove said the WHO is recommending "active monitoring and follow-up" for all passengers and crew for 42 days from their "last point of exposure" to a confirmed case.

The evacuation timetable extended beyond Spain, with passengers from the Netherlands next and Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia saying their plane would also carry passengers from Germany, Belgium and Greece, followed by passengers from Turkiye, France, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The final flight planned for Monday would allow evacuation of six people from "Australia, New Zealand and other Asian countries," and the operation was described by Spain’s health minister as "unprecedented".

In the United States, the CDC announced it was working with the US State Department and other partners to evacuate American passengers, and the NBC News report said 17 Americans still aboard the Hondius would be flown to the United States and observed at the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.