A massive international coordination effort is underway as multiple countries have begun the evacuation of their citizens from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship.
The Dutch-flagged vessel, currently docked at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, became the center of a global health emergency after a deadly outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus was confirmed on board.
With the death toll sitting at three and at least eight confirmed cases, governments are racing to bring their nationals home under strict biocontainment protocols.
The Spanish government, in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), has facilitated the safe disembarkation of over 140 passengers and crew of the hantavirus-hit cruise ship.
It was also gathered that the evacuation involved dedicated charter flights and military aircraft to ensure that potentially exposed individuals do not enter the general population or board commercial flights.
More than 90 of the passengers of a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship will have been evacuated and flown home from the Canary Islands by the end of Sunday, Spain has said.
Fourteen Spanish nationals flown from Tenerife to Madrid face mandatory quarantine at a military hospital in the capital. They were followed by French and British nationals, who were taken to Paris and Manchester, respectively.
Staff involved in the operation in Tenerife pulled white hazmat suits over the evacuees’ clothes and hosed them down on the airport tarmac.
Flights for Turkish, Irish, and US citizens are also scheduled on Sunday – leaving fewer than 60 passengers still aboard, according to Spain’s health secretary Javier Padilla.
The Hondius pulled into the port of Granadilla before dawn on Sunday, a month after the first of its passengers died.
The sun rose to reveal it had anchored offshore, with military police boats on patrol and a major operation unfolding on land to help more than 100 passengers and crew disembark.
At about 07:00 local time (06:00 GMT), medical teams went aboard to check everyone for signs of the virus.
Passengers could be seen from afar wandering around on the deck of the ship, or at the windows, all in white medical face masks, as the first evacuations took place on Sunday morning.
Several sat socially distanced on the first evacuation boat, filming and taking photos as they approached land, where they were met by officials in white protective suits.
While being couriered to the airport, some British passengers – clad in blue PPE – waved and gave thumbs up as they drove past the assembled media.
They were followed by 27 people – including Belgian, Greek, German, and Argentine citizens – being taken to the Netherlands, and then the ship’s Irish and Turkish passengers.
Other flights are poised to depart after that, including to the US. The last evacuation flight is expected to leave for Australia on Monday.
The cruise passengers face having to self-isolate after leaving Tenerife, a gruelling prospect as the virus has an incubation period of up to nine weeks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended a 42-day quarantine period for the cruise passengers from their last exposure.
Passengers from the UK will be taken to an isolation facility where they will be kept for up to 72 hours. Medics will then assess whether they can isolate at home or at another suitable location based on their living arrangements.
