Two Irish passengers from the cruise ship affected by the hantavirus outbreak have arrived back in Ireland at Baldonnell, according to flight tracking data. The Air Corps aircraft landed just after 9pm, with the passengers accompanied by HSE medical staff.
The Department of Health confirmed the pair will isolate for a period in a HSE facility, in line with guidance from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization. Both individuals are in good health and had followed isolation protocols while on the MV Hondius. Their repatriation from Tenerife was arranged directly to Ireland, subject to their condition on arrival. No further details on their care will be released for patient confidentiality reasons.
Aircraft from Spain, France, Canada, the UK, and the Netherlands also left Tenerife earlier in the day. One of five French nationals returned to France is displaying symptoms of the illness and has been placed in strict isolation, according to French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
Spanish nationals were the first group to leave the ship. The evacuation process started after 7.30am, with passengers taken by military buses from the port in Tenerife to the southern airport. They were flown by Spanish government plane to Madrid and then transferred to a military hospital for quarantine. Health officials carried out final screenings on board before disembarkations began.
Spain’s health ministry said the operation to remove most of the nearly 150 passengers and crew will continue, with a final repatriation flight to Australia scheduled for tomorrow. Canary Islands authorities have stressed the process must be completed by then due to incoming adverse weather that will require the ship to depart.
Thirty crew members will stay on board and sail the vessel to the Netherlands for disinfection. The Spanish health minister indicated that, if the plan proceeds smoothly, the ship will set sail tomorrow at 19:00.
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