All hantavirus passengers return home as cruise ship departs Canary Islands

All of the passengers of the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship have now disembarked and left Tenerife, with flights to more than 20 countries arranged and dozens in quarantine.

A French woman became the latest to be confirmed as infected, while an American was suspected of infection after initial testing.

Passengers began flying home aboard military and government planes on Sunday after the MV Hondius anchored in the Canary Islands.

Personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks escorted the travellers from the ship to shore in Tenerife and onto an airport, with the final flight departing on Monday.

Passengers arrived in the UK on Sunday night. / Credit: PA

“If they stayed longer on the ship, the situation could have been difficult,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization.

He said citizens of the countries that passengers are returning to should know “there is nothing to fear, the risk is low, this is not another Covid.”

Three cruise ship passengers have died, and six people with confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus are being quarantined, according to the WHO.

The lab results of the American who tested positive were inconclusive, WHO spokesperson Sarah Tyler said on Monday.

The ship’s captain, Jan Dobrogowski, issued a video message Monday praising passengers and crew for their courage and perseverance. He also called for respect for their privacy.

“I could not imagine sailing through these circumstances with a better group of people, guests and crew alike,” he said.

The French woman who tested positive for the hantavirus was in intensive care in a stable condition at a Paris hospital, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Monday.

The MV Hondius is now on its way to the Netherlands. / Credit: AP

He said four French passengers who returned Sunday tested negative but remained in isolation at the same hospital.

One of the 18 evacuated passengers flown to the US also tested positive for the hantavirus but was not showing symptoms, while another had mild symptoms, US health officials said.

South African health authorities said on Monday that the condition of a British man admitted to a hospital in Johannesburg and being treated for hantavirus was gradually improving.

He was evacuated from the ship on April 27 after becoming ill.

In the UK, 20 British passengers from the MV Hondius are isolating at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral after arriving late on Sunday.

One German national, who is a UK resident, and one Japanese passenger are also with them.

They are expected to spend 45 days in self-isolation, and all of them are undergoing testing to see if they have any signs of hantavirus.

Meanwhile, the MV Hondius has departed the Canary Islands on route to Rotterdam and is expected to arrive on Sunday. It still has 25 members of the crew and two medical professionals on board.