The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius arrived on the Spanish port of Granadilla escorted by a Civil Guard vessel, AFP journalists reported, confirmed by information from the maritime monitoring service VesselFinder.
Passengers and a few of the crew are anticipated to evacuate earlier than the ship, the place an outbreak of hantavirus led to the deaths of three individuals, continues on its solution to the Netherlands.
Three passengers from the ship — a Dutch husband and spouse and a German lady — have died, whereas others have fallen sick with the uncommon illness, which often spreads amongst rodents.
The one hantavirus kind that may transmit from individual to individual — the Andes virus — has been confirmed amongst those that have examined optimistic, fuelling worldwide concern.
“We classify everyone on board as what we name a high-risk contact,” WHO’s epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention director Maria Van Kerkhove mentioned Saturday (Might 9, 2026).
However the danger to most of the people and the individuals of the Canaries remained low, she added.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who arrived in Spain on Saturday (Might 9, 2026) and is anticipated to supervise the ship evacuation, gave the identical assurance and thanked the individuals of Tenerife for his or her solidarity.
“I would like you to listen to me clearly,” Mr. Tedros wrote in an open letter to the individuals of Tenerife on Saturday (Might 9, 2026): “This isn’t one other Covid.”
After arriving in Tenerife, he mentioned he was assured the operation can be successful. “Spain is prepared and ready,” he advised reporters.
Every day life uninterrupted
On the port of Granadilla de Abona early Sunday (Might 10, 2026) morning, AFP journalists noticed white tents had been arrange alongside the marina and the police had secured a part of the port.
Regardless of the scenario, day by day life appeared largely regular: some individuals have been swimming, others buying on the market or sitting at cafe terraces.
“There are worries there could possibly be a hazard, however truthfully, I do not see individuals being very involved,” mentioned David Parada, a lottery vendor.
Regional authorities have refused to permit the vessel to dock. As a substitute, it’ll stay offshore whereas passengers are screened and evacuated between Sunday and Monday — the one window well being officers say the climate will permit.
Cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions mentioned earlier that “all visitors and a restricted variety of crew members” have been anticipated to start to go away the ship from round 0700 GMT.
“As soon as disembarked, they are going to be transferred instantly to their allotted plane,” the Dutch agency mentioned.
The WHO mentioned Friday (Might 8, 2026) it had confirmed six circumstances out of eight suspected ones. There aren’t any suspected circumstances remaining on the ship.
The MV Hondius is crusing from Cape Verde, the place three contaminated individuals had already been evacuated earlier within the week.
Monitoring and tracing
In Madrid, Spain’s well being and inside ministers insisted there can be “no contact” with the native inhabitants, and that passengers would go away “by nationality teams”.
“All areas (the passengers) go via will probably be sealed off,” the inside minister mentioned, including a maritime exclusion zone can be in power across the vessel.
The MV Hondius left Ushuaia, Argentina on April 1 for a cruise throughout the Atlantic Ocean to Cape Verde.
Provincial well being official Juan Petrina mentioned there was an “virtually zero probability” the Dutch man linked to the outbreak contracted the illness in Ushuaia based mostly on the virus’s incubation interval, amongst different components.
Well being authorities in a number of nations have been monitoring passengers who had already disembarked and anybody who might have come into contact with them.
A flight attendant on the Dutch airline KLM, who got here into contact with an contaminated passenger from the cruise ship and later confirmed delicate signs, examined adverse for hantavirus, the WHO mentioned Friday (Might 8, 2026).
The passenger — the spouse of the primary particular person to die within the outbreak — had briefly been on a aircraft sure from Johannesburg to the Netherlands on April 25, however was eliminated earlier than take-off.
She died the next day in a Johannesburg hospital.
Spanish authorities mentioned a lady on that flight was being examined for hantavirus, having developed signs at house in japanese Spain. She is in isolation within the hospital, mentioned well being secretary Javier Padilla.
Two Singapore residents who had been on the ship examined adverse for the illness however would stay in quarantine, the city-state’s authorities mentioned Friday (Might 8, 2026).
British well being authorities additionally mentioned Friday (Might 8, 2026) there was a suspected case on Tristan da Cunha, one of many world’s most remoted settlements with round 220 individuals.
Revealed – Might 10, 2026 11:43 am IST
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