British passengers evacuated from a cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak have arrived in the United Kingdom following repatriation from Tenerife. A chartered Titan Airways flight transported the individuals from the Canary Islands, landing at Manchester Airport on Sunday evening.
The 20 British passengers, who were tested for hantavirus before boarding the flight, will be taken to isolate at the UK's initial Covid quarantine site at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, Merseyside. The MV Hondius docked in Tenerife on Sunday morning, with Spanish authorities beginning evacuations of the cruise ship by nationality and ferrying passengers to a port via small boats.
As they were bussed from the port at Granadilla de Abona to Tenerife South Airport, some British passengers, clad in blue personal protective equipment (PPE), waved and gave thumbs up as they passed watching media. In a post on X, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper expressed gratitude to all who worked around the clock to bring passengers back to the UK by special flight with public health protections in place. She noted that the UK collaborated with Spain, South Africa, the Netherlands, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to coordinate safe returns.
Evacuation and Health Measures
The WHO stated that its goal was to complete the ship's evacuation, except for 30 crew members remaining on board, by 7pm on Monday. Passengers were instructed to leave their luggage on the ship and were only permitted to take a small bag containing essential items such as their phone and passport.
Spanish authorities reported on Sunday that no passengers on the ship were displaying symptoms of the virus. The first group to be taken off the vessel, consisting of 14 Spanish nationals, was flown to a hospital in Madrid. However, one of five French passengers exhibited symptoms during their repatriation flight, according to French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu. He stated on X that all five were immediately placed in strict isolation until further notice, where they will receive medical care and undergo further testing.
The Spanish health ministry confirmed on Sunday that 94 individuals of 19 nationalities had been taken off the cruise ship. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference in Tenerife that the outbreak was not another Covid and that the risk to the public was low.
UK Quarantine Arrangements
Upon returning to the UK, passengers will be housed and provided with clothing at an accommodation block on the Arrowe Park site, away from the hospital's public areas, to receive clinical assessment and testing as a precautionary measure. The hospital, which served as the UK's initial Covid quarantine site, had blue covered fences erected around accommodation blocks on Sunday morning.
Emergency services in the North West indicated that passengers are expected to be kept in the managed setting for up to 72 hours. They added that the NHS trust and hospital are operating as normal with no risk to patients, visitors, or staff, and people should continue to seek care as usual. After the isolation period, public health specialists will assess whether passengers can isolate at home or at another suitable location based on their living arrangements.
Britons returning to the UK will remain in self-isolation for 45 days and will not be allowed to use public transport to reach their homes.
Remaining Crew and Cases
Some 30 crew members and a nurse from the Netherlands, as well as the body of a passenger who died on board, will stay on the ship, which will sail to Rotterdam in the Netherlands for disinfection, the WHO said. On Saturday, the WHO reported six confirmed hantavirus cases linked to MV Hondius, with four patients in hospital. It added that eight cases, including three deaths, had been reported, with one previous suspected case reclassified after testing negative for hantavirus.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) stated that three British nationals are among the eight cases: two involve confirmed hantavirus, and another is suspected. The two confirmed British cases are in hospitals in South Africa and the Netherlands, while the third British national with a suspected case is being supported on the British overseas territory of Tristan da Cunha, where they live.
Six paratroopers, an RAF consultant, and an Army nurse from 16 Air Assault Brigade were parachuted onto the South Atlantic island, and oxygen supplies and medical aid were also dropped on Tristan da Cunha, which is normally only accessible by boat. The Ministry of Defence noted that this was the first time medical personnel had been parachuted in to provide humanitarian support.
