One of the 17 American passengers evacuated from a cruise ship in the Canary Islands has tested positive for the hantavirus but is not showing any symptoms, U.S. health officials said late Sunday.
Evacuation and Testing
The charter flight was carrying 17 Americans evacuated off the MV Hondius following its arrival in Tenerife, the largest island in the Spanish archipelago off the West African coast. The aircraft was due to arrive in Omaha, Nebraska, early Monday.
The Americans would first be flown to the University of Nebraska, which has a federally funded quarantine facility, to assess whether they have been in close contact with any symptomatic people and their risk levels for spreading the virus.
Passenger Transport and Monitoring
“One passenger will be transported to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit upon arrival, while other passengers will go to the National Quarantine Unit for assessment and monitoring. The passenger who is going to the Biocontainment Unit tested positive for the virus but does not have symptoms,” said Kayla Thomas, a spokesperson for The Nebraska Medical Center.
The MV Hondius arrived in Tenerife on Sunday morning, with Spanish officials commencing evacuations of the cruise liner by nationality and transporting passengers to a port via small boat. The World Health Organisation (WHO) stated its objective was to complete the vessel's evacuation, apart from 30 crew members staying on board, by 7pm on Monday.
Passenger Instructions and UK Repatriation
Passengers were instructed to leave their luggage on the vessel and were permitted to take only a small bag containing essential items such as their phone and passport.
Director-General of the World Health Organization Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed late last night on X: "Most passengers and crew of the MV Hondius cruise ship successfully disembarked today."
Britons travelling back to the UK will remain in self-isolation for 45 days and will be prohibited from using public transport to reach their homes. Following their isolation period, public health experts will determine whether passengers can self-isolate at home or at another appropriate location depending on their living circumstances.
Official Statements
In a post on X, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "Thank you to all those who worked around the clock to get passengers from MV Hondius back to the UK by special flight this evening with public health protections in place. The UK has worked with Spain, South Africa, the Netherlands and the WHO to coordinate safe returns."
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