The cruise ship MV Hondius, where a hantavirus outbreak occurred during an Atlantic crossing, arrived in Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands on the 10th (local time).
According to the Associated Press and the BBC, the Hondius entered Tenerife's Granadilla port early that morning. Around 7 a.m., medical staff boarded first to check passengers for symptoms, after which passengers began disembarking.
Spain's Health Minister Monica Garcia said the passenger evacuation operation is proceeding normally and that all passengers currently have no hantavirus symptoms.
About 140 people from more than 20 countries will be divided into nationality-based groups, come ashore by small boats, and then take charter flights waiting at the local airport to return to their home countries.
Fourteen Spanish nationals will disembark first, followed by Dutch, Greek, and German passengers. Flights to the United Kingdom and the United States are also scheduled, and the last flight is to Australia on the 11th. After disembarking, passengers who travel home by air will follow quarantine measures set by their respective governments.
On the 1st, the Hondius departed from Argentina, and cases of hantavirus infection occurred in succession on board, with three deaths. Several places refused port calls over fears of community spread, and Spain decided to accept the ship in the Canary Islands.
The Canary Islands regional government and some local residents pushed back. Port workers staged a protest the day before in front of the regional parliament, saying safety measures were insufficient. Fernando Clavijo, the head of the regional government, also repeatedly opposed the ship's entry, saying Canary Islands residents would be put at risk.