Details of evacuation plan for hantavirus cruise ship revealed as MV Hondius prepares to dock in Canary Islands

However, they will be subject to strict protocols, including being allowed to take only limited belongings with them when disembarking when the ship docks in the Canary Islands.

The ship will not moor but will remain at anchor, while the people are taken away in small boats. Anyone disembarking will be checked for symptoms and will not be taken off the ship until a flight is already waiting for them in Tenerife.

The details were announced by Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia at a press conference in Madrid, where she and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sought to reassure the local community in the Canary Islands that there would be no outbreak on land.

“I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word ‘outbreak’ and see a ship sailing towards your shore, it brings back memories that none of us have fully put to rest. The pain of 2020 is still real, and I am not ignoring it for a moment,” Tedros said in a statement to the people of Tenerife.

“But I want you to hear me clearly: This is not another COVID. The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this unequivocally, and I will say it to you again now.”

Garcia said passengers and some crew members would disembark in Tenerife “under maximum safety conditions”.

There are more than 140 people on board from more than twenty different countries, including four Australian citizens and one permanent resident.

Authorities aim to complete the evacuation flights on Sunday and Monday, Maria Van Kerkove, director of the WHO’s Epidemic and Pandemic Management Department, said in a briefing.

Those who disembark will leave their luggage behind, Garcia said, and will be allowed to take only a small bag with essential items, a cell phone, charger and documentation.

Part of the crew and the body of a passenger who died on board will remain on the ship, which will continue to the Netherlands and be disinfected there, the minister said.

The operation may be postponed as residents express concerns

The operation to allow passengers to leave the stricken ship could be delayed, with Canary Islands President Fernando Clavijo claiming that some repatriation flights meant to take passengers back to their home countries had not arrived on time.

During an impromptu press conference this morning, he claimed he planned to cancel the operation due to the health risks it would pose to his community.

He’s not the only one worried

Some in Tenerife say they are worried. On board the cruise ship, some Spanish passengers have expressed concerns about stigmatization.

“I’m telling you, I don’t like this very much,” said 69-year-old resident Simon Vidal.

“Everyone can say what they want. Why did they have to bring a boat from another country here? Why not somewhere else, why to the Canary Islands?”

Others said they empathize with the boat’s passengers but still have concerns.

“The truth is it is very concerning,” said 27-year-old Venezuelan immigrant Samantha Aguero.

“We feel a little unsafe, we don’t feel like there are 100 percent safety measures in place to welcome this.

“After all, this is a virus and we have been through this during the pandemic. But we also need to have empathy.”

Reported by Associated Press.

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