WHO Evacuation of passengers from the cruise ship MV Hondius in Tenerife. Passengers leave a cruise ship in Tenerife after a hantavirus outbreak Healthcare
On Sunday, passengers and crew of the cruise ship MV Hondius began to disembark in Tenerife. The operation is being carried out under the strict supervision of Spanish health authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO). Officials emphasize that the hantavirus outbreak is not a repeat of the COVID situation.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is leading the WHO team in Tenerife, said the risk to the population remains low.
“This is not a new COVID,” he told reporters on Sunday. The risk to society is small, so people “should not be afraid or panic,” Ghebreyesus added.
According to the latest data, a total of eight cases of the disease have been recorded, six of which are laboratory confirmed. Three people died. The last death was registered on May 2.
Evacuation of the liner passengers
The evacuation operation began early in the morning. Spanish health officials boarded the plane to examine passengers and crew, after which people began to be transported ashore in stages, divided into groups depending on nationality and flight availability.
According to Diana Rojas Alvarez, head of the WHO operations headquarters in Tenerife, citizens of Spain, France, Canada and the Netherlands were among the first to leave the ship.
“The work is being carried out extremely intensively, but everything is organized at a very high level,” she noted during the WHO briefing. About 46 people will go ashore on Sunday and the operation will continue on Monday. About 30 crew members will remain on board as the ship sails back to the Netherlands, accompanied by a medical team.
Repatriation flights
WHO representatives have clarified that none of the passengers will be allowed on regular commercial flights. For them – together with the authorities of the countries – charter repatriation flights have been organized with strict adherence to sanitary protocols.
WHO representative Maria van Kerkhove said that, given the long incubation period of the virus, passengers and crew will be under observation for six weeks. other symptoms,” she explained, adding that WHO insists on home or hospital quarantine for 42 days.
“This is a precautionary measure designed to completely eliminate the possibility of transmitting the virus. We also recommended that everyone coming ashore use face masks when in contact with others as an additional layer of protection,” she added.