A high-stakes international rescue operation is underway in the Canary Islands as nations scramble to evacuate their citizens from the MV Hondius, a cruise ship currently immobilized by a deadly hantavirus outbreak. According to reports from France 24, the evacuation process transitioned into a critical phase on Sunday as the first waves of passengers were flown to their respective home countries under strict medical supervision.
France Reports Symptomatic Passenger
The situation took a somber turn Sunday evening for the French delegation. While five French citizens were successfully repatriated to Le Bourget airport north of Paris, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu confirmed that the mission has shifted from precautionary to active medical management.
“One of them showed symptoms in the repatriation plane,” Lecornu posted on X, as cited by France 24. “These five passengers have immediately been placed in strict isolation until further notice.”
The Prime Minister indicated he would issue a formal decree to authorize specific isolation measures to ensure public safety. All five individuals are currently being held at Bichat Hospital in Paris for a 72-hour evaluation.
A Multilateral Exodus
As of Sunday night, Spain’s health ministry reported that 94 passengers of 19 different nationalities have been removed from the Dutch-flagged vessel. The logistics of the day were immense:
- United Kingdom: A flight carrying 20 British citizens landed in Manchester. They are being transported to a hospital near Liverpool for testing and a 72-hour quarantine.
- Spain: 14 Spanish nationals arrived at the Torrejon airbase in Madrid and were immediately transferred to a military hospital.
- The Netherlands: 26 passengers and crew members, including eight Dutch nationals, landed safely in the Netherlands Sunday afternoon.
The evacuation is expected to conclude on Monday afternoon with two final flights departing Tenerife for Australia and New Zealand.
WHO Issues Warning Over US Policy
While European nations are opting for strict hospital isolations, the United States has signaled a more flexible approach—a move that has drawn a rare public critique from the World Health Organization (WHO).
American passengers are being transported to a specialized center in rural Nebraska, but Jay Bhattacharya, acting director of the CDC, told CNN that they “will not necessarily be quarantined.”
In response, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the US policy “may have risks,” according to France 24. Tedros emphasized that the WHO’s standing advice remains a 42-day quarantine with active follow-up for anyone exposed to the virus.
Context: “This is not Covid”
Despite the international alarm, health experts have been quick to differentiate this outbreak from recent global pandemics. Hantaviruses are typically transmitted through contact with infected rodents and do not usually spread easily from human to human, though the severity of the illness remains high. CDC officials urged calm, reminding the public that the current measures are specific to those who were aboard the MV Hondius.
Source: France 24 Live Updates
