MADRID: Spanish authorities are preparing to receive more than 140 passengers and crew members on board a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship headed for the Canary Islands, where health officials have said they will perform careful evacuations.
The vessel is expected to arrive today (May 10) at the Spanish island of Tenerife, off the coast of West Africa
“Passengers will be taken to a completely isolated, cordoned-off area,” said Virginia Barcones, head of Spain’s emergency services.
While three people have died since the outbreak, and five passengers who left the ship are known to be infected with hantavirus, cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions said that there were no symptomatic people on board the ship. WHO considers the risk to the wider public from the outbreak as low.
On Friday, WHO said that a flight attendant on a plane briefly boarded by an infected cruise passenger has tested negative for hantavirus. Her possible infection had raised concerns about the virus’s potential transmissibility.
“Her negative result should ease concerns among the public,” said Christian Lindmeier, a WHO spokesman. “The risk remains absolutely low. This is not a new COVID.”
Health authorities across four continents were continuing to track down and monitor more than two dozen passengers who disembarked the ship before the deadly outbreak was detected. They were also scrambling to trace others who may have come into contact with them since then.