Overview
- The World Health Organization has confirmed 13 cases of the Andes hantavirus tied to the MV Hondius and three deaths, and the virus can rarely spread between people.
- Eighteen Americans were flown to the National Quarantine Unit in Omaha for a recommended 42‑day monitoring period because symptoms can take up to six weeks to appear.
- The CDC offered to let passengers finish quarantine at home but required round‑the‑clock, in‑person surveillance by state personnel, including twice‑daily temperature checks.
- Florida’s health officials have rejected the 24/7 in‑person requirement and proposed voluntary daily telehealth checks instead, leaving at least one passenger, Angela Perryman, still at the federal facility and publicly contesting the confinement.
- The response has produced logistical strain and political friction, with some passengers already moved home under state supervision while the State Department also spent about $750,000 to evacuate one exposed American from a remote island.