Complex Medical Evacuation Underway After Cruise Reaches Tenerife
Passengers began disembarking from the exploration cruise ship Hondius on Sunday in Tenerife and are being immediately evacuated by their individual countries. The complex operation has seen planes from at least six countries removing portions of the passengers as well as some of the cruise ship’s crewmembers, and in an agreement with the local authorities, none of them are being permitted entry into Tenerife.
The Hondius arrived at the industrial port of Grandilla in southern Tenerife at 0624 local time on Sunday, May 10. The ship had departed Cape Verde at 1915 CET on May 6 after two crewmembers and one passenger were disembarked, and additional medical personnel were placed on the ship. Under an agreement with the local authorities, the cruise ship is being held at anchor and not permitted to dock in the port.
The vessel’s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, reports that none of the passengers or crew still onboard are showing any symptoms of hantavirus, but a high level of precaution is being taken during the disembarkation process. Passengers are grouped by nationality and are only ferried to shore when the country’s evacuation flight is ready to receive the people. Local boats were being used to bring the people ashore, or the company said the Zodiac craft from the ship could be used if required.
Personnel on the dock are all in protective clothing, as are the passengers, who are also being sprayed with disinfectant and who are only being permitted to remove a limited number of items from the ship. They are being checked for symptoms and then placed aboard the evacuation flights. Spain was first taking a dozen people, and since then, planes from the Netherlands, which took its citizens along with Germans, Belgians, and Greeks, were followed by evacuations from France, Turkey, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Norway. Australia is sending an evacuation plane due to arrive on Monday that will take its citizens, as well as those from New Zealand and other Asian countries.
The World Health Organization continues to say the danger of further transmission is low. It is, however, recommending 42-days of isolation, quarantine, or observation since the people were first exposed to the virus. Most of the countries reported that the individuals would be taken to military or government facilities for further observation, and then some would be released for home quarantine.
Contact tracing remains a primary concern for the passengers who disembarked during the cruise. The UK Defence Ministry reported on Sunday that it has airlifted two medical clinicians and six military personnel, along with medical supplies, to the remote island of Tristan da Cunha after a passenger who disembarked the cruise is now reported to be ill. However, another person who was on the flight from South Africa, where the ill passenger from the cruise ship was removed, has now tested negative for Hantavirus.
The plan is that once the cruise ship completes the disembarkations in Tenerife, it will sail to Santa Cruz on Tenerife. It will remain isolated while it bunkers and takes on necessary supplies. It will then sail to Rotterdam, a trip that will take around five days, where it will undergo further disinfection.
As of the last count released by the WHO, a total of eight people are ill, with six confirmed cases of hantavirus. Three people died, and four remain in hospitals.
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