The repatriation of passengers and crew from the hantavirus-affected cruise ship MV Hondius is nearing completion, with up to 150 people flown home from Spain's Canary Islands. Evacuees wore blue medical suits and breathing masks as they disembarked onto small boats, which transported them to an industrial port in Tenerife. From there, Spanish army buses carried them to an airport, where they changed into fresh protective gear and were sprayed with disinfectant before boarding charter flights. The World Health Organization has recommended a 42-day quarantine and daily symptom checks for fever, though it does not enforce this guidance. Countries are adopting different approaches to quarantine. In the UK, evacuees will undergo medical tests at Arrowe Park hospital near Liverpool and remain there for 72 hours while further isolation plans are determined. Australia will transport its passengers by ambulance to a high-containment facility in Sydney's west equipped with a helipad, dedicated elevator, and independent sewage treatment. France has placed all its evacuees in strict isolation, with one currently symptomatic, and the prime minister plans to issue a decree authorising continued isolation measures. Greece is mandating a 45-day hospital quarantine in Athens for one male evacuee, who will be held in a negative-pressure chamber at Attikon university hospital. Spain will isolate 14 of its citizens in biosafety beds at Gómez Ulla military hospital in Madrid. The US, no longer a WHO member, will assess the 17 Americans and one British national residing in the US at the University of Nebraska. One evacuee has mild symptoms and another tested mildly PCR positive for the Andes strain. Some Americans already returned to the US via Saint Helena on 24 April, and authorities in Arizona, Virginia, California and Georgia are monitoring them. The Philippines confirmed 38 Filipino seafarers will quarantine in Rotterdam before repatriation. India confirmed two of its nationals, both crew members, were evacuated to the Netherlands for quarantine.
The US is assessing hantavirus evacuees in Nebraska despite having left the WHO, even as some Americans already dispersed to four states after disembarking in Saint Helena. One evacuee shows mild symptoms and another tested mildly positive for the Andes strain, raising concerns about inconsistent containment. Countries like Greece and France are imposing strict isolation, while the US offers evacuees a choice in quarantine, potentially weakening control. The split in protocols exposes gaps in global coordination, especially after the US exit from the WHO.
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