Overview
- WHO and Spanish officials said Saturday that no one on board is symptomatic as the MV Hondius approaches Tenerife for controlled, offshore disembarkation on Sunday.
- Europe’s disease agency designated all passengers high-risk contacts and advised repatriation on dedicated flights with self-quarantine for those without symptoms.
- Laboratories have confirmed six Andes hantavirus cases tied to the ship, with three deaths, and the WHO continues to rate the wider public risk as low.
- The U.S., U.K. and several EU countries are sending evacuation planes, with 17 American passengers set to quarantine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
- Spain will keep the vessel offshore, move people by small boats and guarded buses, prohibit luggage and the deceased from disembarking, and route the ship to the Netherlands for disinfection as contact tracing continues for earlier disembarkations and flight exposures.