British passengers from a cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak are set to be quarantined at the same hospital that served as the UK's isolation facility during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the Press Association, individuals aboard the MV Hondius will be transferred to an isolation unit at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside upon their return to the UK from Tenerife.
Repatriation Plans
Some 22 British passengers and crew members are expected to reach Tenerife, one of Spain's Canary Islands, on Sunday. Officials from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Foreign Office will be present when the ship docks. Passengers will undergo testing for hantavirus before disembarking. Those who test negative and show no symptoms will be taken directly to a dedicated repatriation flight staffed by medical professionals.
Quarantine Measures
The World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed on Saturday that no symptomatic passengers remain on board. Emergency services in northwest England anticipate that passengers will be kept in a managed setting for up to 72 hours. Subsequently, public health specialists will determine whether they can isolate at home or at another suitable location based on their living circumstances. British returnees will be required to self-isolate for 45 days and are prohibited from using public transport to reach their homes.
A joint statement from NHS England North West, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board, Merseyside Police, North West Ambulance Service, and Wirral Council emphasised that organisations across Cheshire and Merseyside are collaborating closely with UKHSA and other government bodies to facilitate the repatriation. The statement noted that upon arrival, passengers will be taken to a managed setting for clinical assessment and testing, with an expected initial stay of up to 72 hours. Public health specialists will then assess home isolation suitability. The risk to the general population remains very low.
Outbreak Details
The WHO reported six confirmed hantavirus cases linked to the MV Hondius, with four patients currently hospitalised. In total, eight cases, including three deaths, have been reported, with one suspected case reclassified after testing negative. The UN agency sought to reassure concerned Tenerife residents that they will not encounter passengers from the affected cruise ship. In a letter, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged residents' worries but stressed that the outbreak is not comparable to Covid-19 and that the current public health risk from hantavirus remains low.
Dr Tedros outlined Spain's careful plan: passengers will be ferried ashore at the industrial port of Granadilla, far from residential areas, in sealed, guarded vehicles through a cordoned-off corridor, and repatriated directly to their home countries. He emphasised that residents will not encounter them, and that Tenerife was chosen for its medical capacity, infrastructure, and humanity to help those affected.
Broader Impact
Two British men are currently receiving treatment for hantavirus in the Netherlands and Johannesburg, South Africa, while a third symptomatic British man is being cared for on the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha. The Foreign Office confirmed that 30 passengers and crew from the MV Hondius are British, with 22 still on board. The outbreak has been linked to a birdwatching expedition in Argentina that two passengers attended before boarding the ship.
