Health update for Brit passengers of hantavirus ship – what next 72 hours will be like | UK | News

A British repatriation flight carrying 20 Britons from the infected MV Hondius has now landed back in the UK after leaving Tenerife early. According to the latest health update, they were all said to be asymptomatic. The evacuation of those trapped on the cruise ship at the center of the hantavirus outbreak was carried out gradually throughout the day under strict medical supervision.

A statement from the various hospital trusts said these people would be taken to “a managed environment for clinical assessment and testing”. They will be kept under tight control at Arrowe Park hospital in Wirral, Merseyside, for the next 72 hours. The ground at Arrowe Park was used during the COVID outbreak for Brits repatriated from China at the start of the pandemic. If passengers do not show symptoms, they will be asked to isolate at home for 45 days.

Janelle Holmes, chief executive of the Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust, which oversees Arrowe Park, said: “I hope they had a good night’s sleep. “Obviously they arrive with very little luggage so we made sure they had everything they needed. [Then they’ll be] You probably communicate with your family and friends from a controlling perspective.

“We will carry out health checks on each individual. They will all be in self-contained flats, have telephone access etc. But of course the specialist medical team will always be on site with them.”

MV Hondius arrived in Tenerife on Sunday morning; Spanish authorities began evacuating the cruise ship by nationality and transported the passengers to a port in a small boat.

One of five French passengers rescued from the MV Hondius and flown home earlier today showed symptoms of hantavirus, the French prime minister said.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said: “These five passengers were immediately placed in strict isolation until further notice.”