WHO reassures Spanish locals as infected ship approaches | World | News
The head of the World Health Organization has issued a message to reassure residents of the Spanish island where passengers on the cruise ship infected with hantavirus will be evacuated.
The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, carrying more than 140 passengers and crew, is expected to depart for Spain’s Canary Islands, off the coast of West Africa, and dock in Tenerife this morning.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived on the island on Saturday, where he planned to supervise the disembarkation of passengers and selected crew members along with Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
In his statement to the people of Tenerife, Tedros said, “I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word ‘epidemic’ and watch a ship heading towards your shores, memories that none of us can fully relieve come to the surface. The pain of 2020 is still real and I do not ignore it even for a moment.” he said.
Tedros added: “But you need to hear me clearly: This is not another Covid-19. The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this clearly, and now I will tell you again.” Mirror.
Aerial view of an ambulance boat carrying crew wearing hazmat suits approaching the starboard side pilot door of the MV Hondius cruise ship, standing off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 5, 2026. Two seriously ill crew members on a cruise ship caught in a deadly hantavirus outbreak will be evacuated to the Netherlands via the Cape Verde Islands, with the ship’s operator allowed to sail to Spain’s Canary Islands. The MV Hondius has been at the center of an international health scare since Saturday, when the WHO was informed that a rare disease, usually spread through urine, feces and saliva from infected rodents, was suspected to be behind the deaths of three passengers, it said on Tuesday. Passengers and crew remain isolated after Cape Verde authorities banned the ship from docking while others fell ill and health authorities scrambled to find a port to receive Hondius. (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
WHO, Spanish authorities and cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions have confirmed that no one on Hondius is currently showing symptoms of the virus. Hantavirus can trigger life-threatening illnesses. It is usually spread when individuals inhale contaminated particles from rodent feces and is rarely transmitted between humans. However, the Andean virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak can occasionally be transmitted between humans in exceptional cases. Symptoms usually appear between one and eight weeks after exposure.
There have been three deaths since the beginning of the outbreak; Five passengers who got off the ship were infected with hantavirus.
Some Tenerife residents say they don’t want the ship there.
A member of the Guardia Civil completes setting up tents at the expected pick-up point for passengers arriving from the MV Hondius at Granadilla Port in Tenerife, part of Spain’s Canary Islands, on May 09, 2026. The cruise ship MV Hondius, whose three passengers died of Hantavirus last month and eight more cases were reported, is expected to arrive in Tenerife on Sunday, May 10, where the remaining passengers will be repatriated. At a press conference this week, representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasized that the emergence of this rare virus does not constitute a pandemic but has raised concerns in the Canary Islands and elsewhere. (Image: Getty Images)
Concerns have been raised among some Tenerife locals. Some Spanish passengers on the cruise ship expressed fear of potential stigma. “I’m telling you, I don’t like it very much,” said resident Simon Vidal, 69. “Anyone can say what they want. Why did they have to bring a boat here from another country? Why not from somewhere else, why bring them to the Canary Islands?”
Other residents admitted they sympathized with those on board, while remaining concerned.
“The reality is that the situation is very worrying,” said Samantha Aguero, a 27-year-old Venezuelan immigrant. He added: “We feel a little unsafe, not because there are 100% safety measures in place to welcome it. After all, it is a virus and we have experienced it during the pandemic. But we also need to be empathetic.”
Passengers will only be able to take a limited number of items and will be isolated.
Garcia confirmed that passengers and some crew members would land in Tenerife “under maximum security conditions”. The ship will not come to port, instead it will remain anchored offshore and passengers will be transported to shore by smaller boats. Garcia confirmed at a press conference in Madrid that everyone disembarking will be screened for symptoms and will not be allowed to leave the ship until a flight is waiting for them in Tenerife. Those currently on board represent more than 20 different nationalities.
Maria Van Kerkove, director of the WHO Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Management, said in a briefing on Saturday that authorities were working to complete evacuation flights on Sunday and Monday.
Mandatory Credit: Photo: ANP/Shutterstock (16867307aq)GRANADILLA DE ABONA – Police at the port of Granadilla. The Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius, which was hit by the deadly hantavirus outbreak, is expected to be in Tenerife. Tenerife, Hondius Preparing to Acquire Granadilla De Abona – 09 May 2026 (Image: ANP/Shutterstock)
Both the US and the UK agreed to send planes to evacuate their citizens. The Americans will be quarantined at a medical center in Nebraska.
Garcia confirmed that all Spanish passengers will be transported to a medical facility and quarantined. Oceanwide reported that there were 13 Spanish passengers and one Spanish crew member on board.
Garcia said those leaving the ship will be required to leave their luggage behind and will only be allowed to carry a small bag with essential items, a cell phone, a charger and personal documents. The minister added that some crew members will remain on board, along with the body of a passenger who passed away on board, and that the ship will then go to the Netherlands to undergo a full disinfection process.
