The Irish Government dispatched its official jet to Spain to bring home the two Irish citizens on board the MV Hondius, the cruise ship at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak, reports The Mirror.
The jet, which is ordinarily used to transport the Taoiseach and government ministers, was sent to Tenerife on Sunday morning.
The MV Hondius was expected to anchor near the island between 4am and 6am Irish time, reports The Mirror.
The two Irish passengers will then be placed in an as yet unidentified HSE facility, where they will be monitored for a number of weeks.
They arrived home in Ireland late on Sunday night.
Local Spanish authorities indicated that the evacuation of all passengers must take place before around midday local time on Monday, after which worsening sea conditions are expected to make the process more difficult for the remainder of the month.
When the vessel anchors, all those on board will be examined for signs of the virus. Three passengers from the MV Hondius, a Dutch couple and a German woman, have died as a result of the outbreak, reports The Mirror.
The only strain of hantavirus known to be transmissible between humans, the Andes virus, was confirmed among those who tested positive on board, prompting widespread international concern, reports The Mirror.
The World Health Organisation stated that the outbreak posed a minimal risk to the wider public, with its spokesperson noting that the virus is not contagious enough to easily jump from person to person, and that even those sharing cabins with infected individuals had in some cases not contracted the illness.
Spain’s Interior Minister confirmed that Ireland, Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands had each arranged repatriation flights for their nationals, with the EU also dispatching two additional aircraft for remaining European citizens, reports The Mirror.
Interim Chief Medical Officer Professor Mary Horgan stated that intensive preparations were under way to ensure the safe quarantine of the returning Irish passengers, reports The Mirror.
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