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US passengers evacuated from cruise ship in Canary Islands
A group of 17 American passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship, docked in Spain's Canary Islands, were flown to the United States on Sunday via a government-chartered plane. The passengers will undergo medical evaluation at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha to determine if they require treatment or can safely return home.
Evacuation and risk assessment
The 17 passengers are part of a larger group of over 90 individuals evacuated from the ship. Officials have emphasized that the risk of a major outbreak remains low. Seven other U.S. passengers have already returned to their home states and are being monitored by local health authorities.
Images from the disembarkation at the port of Granadilla de Abona in Tenerife showed passengers wearing protective blue gowns, bouffant caps, and face masks. A British national residing in the U.S. was also evacuated alongside the American group.
CDC protocols and quarantine procedures
Acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya stated that the agency interviewed passengers before their flight to assess potential public health risks. The evaluation will focus on whether individuals had close contact with someone exhibiting hantavirus symptoms, the only known method of human-to-human transmission.
"If they weren't in close contact with someone who was symptomatic, then we're going to deem them a low risk. If they were in close contact, we're going to deem them a medium or high risk."
Jay Bhattacharya, Acting CDC Director
Passengers deemed low-risk will be allowed to return home, provided their living situation permits safe isolation. Those at higher risk may choose to remain in Nebraska or be transported home under controlled conditions. All evacuees will be required to self-isolate for 42 days and will continue to be monitored by local health officials with CDC support.
No testing for asymptomatic passengers
CDC officials confirmed on Saturday that none of the passengers were experiencing symptoms, and therefore, no testing would be conducted. The Nebraska Medical Center, where the group is being flown, houses the National Quarantine Unit-the only federally funded facility of its kind in the U.S. The 20-bed unit, equipped with negative air pressure systems to prevent disease spread, opened in November 2019, months before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Quarantine conditions and containment measures
Professor John Lowe, the medical center's director, stated that none of the passengers were expected to be ill upon arrival. He described their transport as routine, with individuals walking off the plane and into quarantine rooms without the need for medical stretchers.
"They're going to walk off a plane and walk into a vehicle and get driven over here and head into their quarantine room."
Professor John Lowe, Director, Nebraska Medical Center
Dr. Michael Wadman, director of the National Quarantine Unit, compared the quarantine experience to a hotel stay, with food delivery and the ability to use exercise equipment in-room. Daily symptom checks and vital sign monitoring will be conducted. If any passenger is found to be ill, they will be transferred to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, located within the same facility, which specializes in treating high-consequence infectious diseases.
Hantavirus distinct from COVID-19, officials stress
Health authorities have underscored that hantavirus is not comparable to COVID-19 in terms of transmissibility. Bhattacharya reiterated that the virus should be managed using established hantavirus protocols rather than measures developed for COVID-19.
"This is not COVID. And we don't want to treat it like COVID. We don't want to cause a public panic over this."
Jay Bhattacharya, Acting CDC Director
Seven additional passengers from the MV Hondius have already returned to the U.S. and are being monitored in their home states, including Georgia, Texas, Virginia, Arizona, and California.
