A cruise ship affected by an outbreak of hantavirus is expected to arrive in the Canary Islands on Sunday between 4:00 and 6:00 local time, Spain’s Health Minister Mónica García Gómez announced on Saturday.
Neither the luggage nor the body of the deceased passenger on board will be disembarked in the Canary Islands. They will remain on the ship, along with part of the crew, which will continue its journey to the Netherlands, García Gómez stated during a press conference, describing it as an “unprecedented operation.”
The Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on the social platform X that he has arrived in Spain on his way to the Canary Islands to oversee the ship’s evacuation.
“I have arrived in Spain, where I will join senior government officials in Tenerife to oversee the safe disembarkation of passengers, crew members, and health experts from the cruise ship MV Hondius,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on X. He added that “at this stage, there are no other individuals on board showing symptoms of hantavirus.”
