Tenerife Prepares for Arrival of MV Hondius Cruise Ship Carrying Hantavirus Cases
The MV Hondius cruise ship is nearing Tenerife in the Canary Islands, nearly a month after the initial hantavirus fatality on board. Extensive preparations are underway at Granadilla port to facilitate the disembarkation and repatriation of more than 100 passengers and crew members.
Upon its anticipated arrival before dawn, the Hondius will be held within a one-nautical-mile security perimeter, ultimately anchoring offshore in the port to maintain isolation. Spain's health minister has characterised this complex, multinational operation to contain the rare Andes strain of the virus as "unprecedented".
Local authorities, including the President of the Canary Islands, have expressed concerns, though Health Minister Mónica García reiterated on Saturday that the "risk of contagion for the general population is low." She cautioned against "alarmism, misinformation and confusion" undermining public health efforts.
Disembarkation and Repatriation Procedures
Security measures at the industrial port facility significantly increased on Saturday, with military police and disaster response teams establishing reception tents and restricting waterfront access. Medical teams are scheduled to board the Hondius by Sunday morning to screen individuals; no new symptoms have been reported.
Passengers will be ferried ashore by nationality for waiting charter flights, with the UK, US, and multiple EU member states dispatching aircraft. Medically equipped planes will also be on standby. Spanish nationals face mandatory quarantine at Madrid's Gomez Ulla military hospital, with the full duration of isolation for all repatriated individuals yet to be clarified, given the virus's incubation period of up to nine weeks.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization (WHO), is in Tenerife to oversee the disembarkation, commending the authorities' "solid and effective response." He acknowledged public concern, attributing it to "the experience of Covid: that trauma is still in our minds," but affirmed the low risk of wider contagion due to the virus's nature and Spanish government preparations. The outbreak has been linked to a landfill in southern Argentina.
Dozens of intensive care specialists at Tenerife’s Candelaria hospital are prepared for potential severe cases, with a fully equipped isolation unit. While some initial local protests against the ship's diversion to the island occurred, a degree of calm has since settled, although some residents recall prior official reassurances about Covid-19 that proved unfounded.