A group of passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship, which experienced a hantavirus outbreak, has been evacuated to the United Kingdom and is now undergoing isolation at a facility in Merseyside. The passengers arrived in the UK on Sunday evening via a chartered Titan Airways flight from Tenerife, landing at Manchester Airport. This evacuation is part of a broader international effort to repatriate passengers from the ship, with additional flights scheduled from Australia and the Netherlands, according to Spain's health minister.
Isolation at Arrowe Park Hospital
The UK's initial COVID-19 quarantine site at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, Merseyside, is now housing 20 British passengers who were tested for hantavirus before boarding the flight. In addition, one German national who resides in the UK and one Japanese passenger are also being monitored at the facility. The Japanese passenger was accepted by the UK government at Tokyo's request and will complete their isolation in accordance with UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) guidelines.
A flight from Australia will evacuate six passengers from Tenerife, and another from the Netherlands will transport 18 passengers. Both flights will also carry individuals from other countries that did not arrange their own repatriation flights, officials confirmed.
Health Status and Precautions
According to a World Health Organization tally from Friday, eight people who are no longer on the ship have fallen ill, with six confirmed to have contracted the virus. Three deaths have been reported: a Dutch couple and a German national. On Sunday, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced that one of the 17 Americans being repatriated had tested positive for the Andes strain of the virus, while a second had mild symptoms. The French health minister reported that a French passenger had tested positive and that their health was deteriorating. It remains unclear whether these two cases are included in the six reported by the WHO.
Strict infection control measures were implemented during the journey back to the UK, with passengers, crew, drivers, and medical teams all wearing personal protective equipment, including face masks.
Clinical Assessments and Welfare Checks
Over a 72-hour period, passengers will receive clinical assessments and testing at the isolation facility, which comprises six floors of self-contained flats, each with bedrooms, en suite bathrooms, kitchens, and lounge facilities. Janelle Holmes, chief executive of Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, stated that Arrowe Park would conduct welfare checks on each individual. She emphasized that no passengers being transferred were symptomatic and that the hospital's services were running normally, with patients encouraged to attend their appointments as scheduled.
Holmes explained that if any passengers develop symptoms, they would be transferred to Royal Liverpool University Hospital, which houses the regional tropical and infectious diseases unit. She described hantavirus as very different from COVID-19, noting that the risk to the general public is extremely low, as transmission requires very close contact.
Long-Term Isolation Plans
During the passengers' stay at Arrowe Park, public health specialists will assess whether they can complete their isolation at home or elsewhere, depending on their living arrangements. Those returning to the UK will be required to self-isolate for 45 days and will not be permitted to use public transport to reach their homes. Throughout the isolation period, passengers will have daily contact with UKHSA health protection teams to monitor their wellbeing and ensure they have the necessary support for safe isolation.
Public Health Minister Sharon Hodgson stated: "None of the passengers are symptomatic, but we will monitor them closely over the next 72 hours at the hospital, as part of a precautionary isolation period. With no cases or symptoms among them and both our stringent monitoring and isolation measures, the risk to the public remains extremely low."
