90-Second Read: American passenger on Hantavirus-hit cruise feels ‘blindsided’ and ‘misled’ by new quarantine orders

An American passenger who was exposed to the Andes strain of Hantavirus on the cruise ship HV Hondius said he feels "blindsided" and "misled" by new orders that require staying at the National Quarantine Center in Nebraska under federal supervision. Public health officials have repeatedly stressed that the risk to the public from the Andes Hantavirus is low. In news briefings last week, CDC officials said they were assessing passengers and were working with state and local health departments to allow them to quarantine at home.

At least two passengers were formally ordered to stay in quarantine in Nebraska after they pushed to leave. Until Sunday night, some passengers expected to be allowed to return home as early as this week to finish the remainder of the 42 days in quarantine. The health department contact he was working with in his home county seemed to be unaware of the change in strategy, he said, as were the CDC staff working with the passengers in the quarantine unit.

Another person in quarantine said he expected some changes as more new cases were confirmed among passengers from other countries. Kornfeld is now in quarantine with the other American passengers in Nebraska. The medical freedom movement resists government-imposed public health measures such as vaccine mandates and masking requirements.