Hantavirus: 14 MV Hondius Passengers Quarantined in Madrid

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Passengers of the MV Hondius cruise ship affected by the hantavirus outbreak have begun to be evacuated from Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, on Sunday, May 10, 2026. The first flight carrying Spanish nationals has been dispatched to the Torrejon de Ardoz airbase near Madrid before undergoing isolation procedures at the Gomez Ulla Central Hospital.

The Dutch-flagged ship had previously docked near the Granadilla Port in Tenerife after sailing from Cape Verde. Spanish health authorities stated that Spanish nationals were the first group to be disembarked from the ship and will undergo quarantine upon arrival in Madrid. Only Spanish nationals will undergo quarantine in the country.

According to the news channel Xinhua, the cruise ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions recorded that there were 13 passengers and one Spanish crew member on the first flight.

The Spanish Minister of Health, Monica Garcia, stated that the evacuation operation was carried out following the necessary security measures. She also ensured that the other passengers still aboard the ship were not showing any symptoms of the disease.

The final repatriation flight is scheduled to depart on Monday and will carry Australian nationals. It is also expected that the Netherlands will send a special flight on Monday evening to pick up passengers who have not been repatriated by their respective countries.

The Spanish Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization, and the ship operator stated that none of the over 140 people on the ship are currently showing hantavirus symptoms. The evacuation process is being conducted under tight security. Passengers disembarking from the ship as well as port personnel were seen wearing personal protective equipment, including masks, hazmat suits, and respirators.

Global health expert from the Barcelona Institute of Global Health, Quique Bassat Orellana, stated that the main challenge at present is to reassure the public and the government regarding the situation. "The principal challenge is reassuring the population and the politicians that this is an extraordinary situation but a routine procedure in terms of guaranteeing the health of individuals who have been in contact with the disease," Orellana told Al Jazeera.

"There is nothing extraordinary except the magnitude of the operation because it involves a large number of individuals from a large number of countries from all over the world," Orellana added.

The ship sailed to Tenerife last Wednesday after the WHO and the European Union requested Spain to handle the evacuation of the passengers following the discovery of the hantavirus outbreak on the ship.

The World Health Organization, WHO, on Friday, 8 May 2026, stated that at least eight passengers on the ship had fallen ill, including three who had died, namely a Dutch couple and a German national. Of the eight passengers, six cases have been confirmed as hantavirus positive, while the other two are still suspected to be infected.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control stated that all passengers of the luxury cruise ship were categorized as high-risk contacts as a preventive measure.

However, the Spanish Ministry of Health report stated that the ship had passed health checks before docking in Tenerife. "Based on information from experts who boarded the ship, the cleanliness and environment on the ship were considered adequate and no rodents were found, so the likelihood of transmission through contact with rodents on the ship is small," the report stated.

The Spanish Minister of Health, Monica Garcia, stated that after the evacuation of Spanish nationals, it will be the turn of Dutch passengers to be repatriated along with passengers from Germany, Belgium, and Greece.

She added that passengers from Turkey, France, the UK, and the US will be evacuated in the next phase. "The last flight for this operation is leaving from Australia. It is the most complex flight and is scheduled to arrive tomorrow afternoon," Garcia said. According to her, the flight will evacuate six people from Australia, New Zealand, and several other countries in Asia. 30 crew members will remain on board the MV Hondius and sail to the Netherlands for the ship's disinfection process.

Not a New COVID

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also arrived in Tenerife along with several Spanish ministers to monitor the arrival process of the ship. In an open letter to the people of Tenerife, Tedros tried to reassure the public. "I need you to hear me clearly. This is not another COVID," Tedros said.

WHO's Director of Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness, Maria Van Kerkhove, stated that all passengers are indeed categorized as high-risk contacts, but the risk to the general public and the people of the Canary Islands remains low.

In Granadilla de Abona, local residents continued their activities as usual on Sunday morning. Several people were seen swimming, shopping at the market, and sitting in cafes. "There are worries there could be a danger, but honestly I don't see people being very concerned," said local lottery vendor David Parada to AFP.

Read: Spain Begins Mass Evacuation from Hantavirus-Linked Cruise Ship

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