The approximately one hundred and fifty Dutch travelers and crew members of the Dutch cruise ship Hondius must be quarantined at home for six weeks after their repatriation due to possible infection with the hantavirus. Minister Sophie Hermans (Public Health, VVD) wrote this in a letter to Parliament on Friday, reports the ANP news agency. The Dutch cruise ship has been stationary off the coast of Cape Verde in recent days after an outbreak of the hantavirus on board, which has now killed three people.
The Hondius is now en route to the Canary Islands, where it is expected to dock on Saturday. From there the 146 people on board will be taken home. There are currently no crew members or passengers on board with symptoms of the virus.
Different countries handle the return of their potentially infected nationals differently. For example, the seventeen Americans on the ship will be transferred to medical facilities in the state of Nebraska for their quarantine, writes CNN.
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