It’s not a warm welcome. Earlier this week, Cape Verde refused the MV Hondius access to its territory and the Canary Islands were also initially unwilling to wait for the arrival of the cruise ship, out of fear that patients possibly infected with the hantavirus would pose a risk to public health on the island.
However, according to the current schedule, the ship will arrive at Tenerife early on Sunday, at the insistence of the Spanish government, which wanted to respond to the World Health Organization’s request to receive the cruise ship. The evacuation is planned to start later on Sunday.
There are still 147 passengers from 23 countries on board. So far, it is known that six people who have been on board have been infected with the hantavirus, and infection is suspected in two people. Three passengers died. According to official reports, no one on the ship currently has symptoms of illness.
The Canary Islands authorities have made clear agreements with the Spanish Ministry of Health to ensure that those on board spend as little time as possible on the island. The regional president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, demanded the Spanish newspaper El Pais that those on board would not come into contact with the island population. Therefore, the ship will not dock in the southern industrial port of Granadilla, which is not normally used for passenger transport, but will anchor just outside it.
The passengers will receive a medical check and will then be brought ashore five at a time, according to El Pais in rubber Zodiac boats. There are then four buses ready to take passengers to Tenerife South Airport, less than a fifteen-minute drive away. Everyone involved in the repatriation will wear protective clothing.
Also read
The hantavirus appears to be under control on the cruise ship. What is known about the consequences on the mainland?
Passengers are not allowed to leave the ship until the plane that takes them home is ready at the airport. “No one is allowed [het schip] unless he or she goes directly to the airport to travel to the country of origin,” Spanish Director General of Civil Protection and Emergencies Virginia Barcones said during a press conference on Friday.
That is a complex operation: Spain is currently negotiating with 22 countries about the repatriation. These countries will also pick up their citizens if they show symptoms of hantavirus, unless they require urgent medical care. Negotiations are said to be at an advanced stage with EU member states, Barcones said, and talks are also underway with the US, Argentina and the Philippines, among others. The latter country has the most residents on board with 38 passengers.
Preparations were made in the port of Granadilla on Tenerife on Saturday for the arrival of passengers from the MV Hondius.
Photo RAMON VAN FLYMEN / ANP
If Spain fails to make agreements with all these countries, the responsibility for repatriation lies with the Netherlands, because the MV Hondius sails under the Dutch flag. It could therefore be that the Netherlands temporarily accommodates people with a different nationality and places them in quarantine, the government wrote on Friday evening in a letter to Parliament. If someone does develop symptoms, a European aircraft is available for a medical evacuation. This plane has provisions for High Consequence Infectious Disease (HCID). There is also one HCID bed available on Tenerife.
Home quarantine
Spain also has a clear plan for the repatriation of the fourteen passengers with Spanish nationality. This group, consisting of thirteen passengers and one crew member, will fly in an air force plane to Torrejón air base in Madrid, “respecting physical distancing and in accordance with health regulations for this type of emergency.” They will then be taken to Gómez Ulla Hospital, where they will be quarantined on a voluntary basis. It is not yet clear how long their isolation will last.
The British authorities have already made a decision about this: 45 days of quarantine. That period is equal to the maximum incubation period of the virus. The 22 Britons from Hondius are allowed to spend this isolation period at home and are asked to test themselves regularly. Also in this case the isolation is voluntarythe British government does not impose it by law.
The Dutch letter to Parliament shows that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will ensure the repatriation of all Dutch passengers as soon as possible after arrival in Tenerife. They will be taken to Eindhoven Airport by plane. Once home, they will go into home quarantine for six weeks. The local GGD will monitor and support them.
An ‘imposed’ decision
Despite the promised safety measures, there is great dissatisfaction on the Canary Islands. President Clavijo said against it on Thursday after a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez the Spanish newspaper El Mundo still cannot understand why the cruise ship has to come to Tenerife and called the decision “imposed” by Madrid. “All this could also have happened in Cape Verde, with the same degree of security.”
It is not yet known exactly how long the evacuation of the ship will take. As soon as the last passenger has disembarked, the cruise ship with crew will continue to the Netherlands. The body of one deceased person is also still on board. In the Netherlands the ship must be disinfected; It is still unclear what exactly that process looks like. According to Clavijo, the disinfection will “under no circumstances” take place in Tenerife waters, he told El Pais.
