Government officials are finalising plans to dispatch a plane to Spain within days to bring home two Irish citizens from the cruise ship at the centre of a hantavirus outbreak.
Coalition sources have confirmed the development after Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Granda-Marlaska announced that repatriation flights have been arranged for passengers heading to Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands.
Irish authorities are expected to finalise details this weekend, including whether to use a Defence Forces aircraft or a government jet to repatriate the two citizens from the MV Hondius when it reaches Tenerife. Officials have not specified the exact timing of the decision or the flight, but the matter does not require Cabinet approval and is being coordinated closely with other EU member states.
The operation, led by the Department of Defence, Department of Health and the HSE, will adhere to strict isolation protocols during evacuation.
Tents have been erected at the expected reception area for passengers at Granadilla Port in Tenerife.
Three people from the ship — a Dutch husband and wife, and a German woman — have died, while other passengers have contracted the rare hantavirus, which is typically transmitted by rodents.
The vessel is scheduled to arrive in Tenerife tomorrow, after which passengers will be disembarked and flown back to their home countries.
The European Union is providing two additional planes for remaining European nationals. The United States and United Kingdom have also confirmed arrangements for non-EU citizens whose countries cannot provide their own transport.
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