Australian passengers who were stranded on a hantavirus-stricken cruise have experienced further setbacks in their efforts to return home. Four Australian citizens, one permanent resident, and a New Zealand national were among the last to disembark from the MV Hondius when it docked at the Spanish island of Tenerife on Monday.
Repatriation Flight No-Shows
They were originally expected to arrive in Perth on Tuesday for transportation to the Bullsbrook Centre for National Resilience—built during the Covid pandemic—to undergo three weeks of quarantine. However, the repatriation flight sent by the Australian government never arrived.
Passengers also faced delays leaving the ship after worsening weather made it unsafe for smaller boats to reach the vessel offshore. This came as a French woman and an American tested positive for the rat virus on Monday, bringing the total confirmed cases to ten.
Docking and Transit
The ship captain had to request permission to dock at Tenerife, allowing the Australians to disembark and board buses to the airport. Another plane was dispatched to collect the passengers and take them to the Netherlands, where they are expected to quarantine for at least 48 hours under strict rules.
Adding to the delays was the long flight distance from Australia, with the plane needing to refuel on the way there and back. Two of the impacted Australians are from Queensland, and three are from New South Wales.
Government Response
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher could not explain why the repatriation flight did not show up but assured another was on the way. 'We've been dealing with a very challenging situation as we try to manage the repatriation of those individuals,' she told Sunrise on Tuesday. 'But you know we work with all countries about making sure we've got the safest and most efficient way back into Australia. It is going to take a bit of time to get them home because they're far away, but they will be landing in Perth later this week.'
Quarantine Uncertainty
Whether the returned travellers will remain in quarantine after the three-week period is unclear. The World Health Organisation recommends a 42-day quarantine period. Health Minister Mark Butler told reporters on Monday, 'This period of three weeks of quarantine will only cover part of the 42-day quarantine period or potential incubation period that is relevant to this particular virus. We'll be seeking further advice from the Chief Health Officers about what arrangements should take place beyond that initial three weeks. I do make no apology for the fact this is one of the stronger approaches you'd see around the world.'
Outbreak Details
An elderly Dutch couple and a German national have died from hantavirus. The cases were reported in early May, and the cruise has been locked down since. Hantavirus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue from rodent droppings and is not easily transmitted between people. However, the strain detected on the ship may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms usually appear between one and eight weeks after exposure. No human cases have ever been recorded in Australia.
The federal government said its priority was keeping it that way. 'I want to stress that our primary responsibility as a government is to keep our community safe and healthy,' Butler said. 'We also have a responsibility to those passengers to bring them home and to protect them from any risk of potentially transmitting the virus without knowing it. These arrangements discharge both of those responsibilities.'
