Passengers aboard the MV Hondius have officially begun deboarding amid the lethal hantavirus outbreak sweeping the ship.
On Sunday, the cruise ship arrived in Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands, where several large groups of people began the process of deboarding. According to Reuters, mandatory screenings were conducted on all passengers before they got off the ship at the Granadilla Port, and if they showed no signs of symptoms, they were transported onto a ferry and brought back to shore in groups.
Reuters reported the process is expected to continue until Monday, and that deboarded passengers will be evacuated to a military airport where government airplanes sent by their respective countries will bring them home. Health officials emphasized there will be no contact with the public throughout the process. Additionally, the World Health Organization recommended a 42-day quarantine for all passengers deboarding the ship and returning home… but the key word being “recommended,” right? So there’s no way to ensure these folks won’t step right out into the thick of crowds after returning home?
And on that note, exactly which countries will the passengers be returning to? Well, Spanish health minister Monica Garcia revealed airplanes for Spanish and French nationals were the first to take off, with more evacuations listed for Canada, the Netherlands, the UK, Turkey, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Greece, New Zealand, and yes, the United States, up next. According to TMZ, there are 17 American passengers reportedly onboard the ship.
We really hope they adhere to the recommended 42-day quarantine!
But while it may be easy to panic at the thought of passengers exposed to the deadly hantavirus, which has already claimed the lives of three and infected eight others, returning home, health officials continue to reassure the public this won’t be a repeat of the COVID pandemic. World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement on Friday:
“I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word ‘outbreak’ and watch a ship sail toward your shores, memories surface that none of us have fully put to rest. The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not dismiss it for a single moment. But I need you to hear me clearly: this is not another COVID-19. The current public health risk from Hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this unequivocally, and I will say it again to you now.”
We certainly hope not!
What are your reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments down below.
[Images via Image created for PerezHilton.com]
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