Source: Reuters
Groups of passengers and crew disembarked from a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak on Sunday to be evacuated to their home countries where they will isolate according to national protocols to prevent further spread of the disease.
Government planes carrying Spanish and French nationals landed in Madrid and Paris on Sunday afternoon, where the passengers were transported to hospital, according to the two countries’ governments.
One of the five French passengers showed symptoms during the repatriation flight, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on X.
Planes to Canada, the Netherlands, Turkey, the UK, Ireland, and the United States were due to depart by 2030 local time (1830) on Sunday, with the final flights departing on Monday by 1900 local time.
The passengers will be tested upon arrival and then either taken to local hospitals or quarantine facilities or transported home for isolation.
The World Health Organization has recommended a 42-day quarantine for all passengers from the boat from Sunday, its director of epidemic and pandemic management Maria Van Kerkhove said in a briefing.
