90-Second Read: Cruise ship with deadly Hantavirus to evacuate passengers near Spain

Plans are in place to evacuate passengers from multiple countries aboard the Tenerife, Spain-bound cruise ship stricken by a deadly Hantavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, a Spanish woman who was tested for Hantavirus after taking the same flight as a patient who died from the disease and displaying symptoms consistent with an infection has tested negative, Spain's health ministry said May 9. All passengers as well as 17 crew members will be evacuated, but 30 crew will stay on board and travel on to the Netherlands, Spain's Health Minister Monica Garcia said. After the ship docks, a small boat will bring the passengers in groups to the dock for medical screening, according to Dr.

The United States and the United Kingdom have confirmed planes and contingency plans were being arranged for non-EU citizens whose countries were unable to send air transport, Spain's interior minister said. Once the ship is docked in the Canary Islands, a team of epidemiologists and medical professionals sent by the CDC will "conduct an exposure risk assessment for each American passenger and provide recommendations for the level of monitoring required," the release continued. As USA TODAY previously reported, officials in several states have confirmed they are monitoring residents who recently traveled on board the MV Hondius for Hantavirus symptoms. Americans aboard the MV Hondius will make their way to quarantine in Nebraska.

The WHO said May 8 that eight people had fallen ill, including three who died − a Dutch couple and a German national. Spain's interior minister said May 9 that planes will come from Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands as well as two from the European Union for any remaining European citizens. At this time, the risk to the American public remains extremely low. In a post to social media on May 9, the director-general shared he arrived in Spain.

Passengers will be ferried ashore at the industrial port of Granadilla, far from residential areas, in sealed, guarded vehicles, through a completely cordoned-off corridor, and repatriated directly to their home countries. In New Jersey, officials are monitoring two people who weren't on the ship but may have been exposed. Spanish citizens will disembark first, with the order of evacuation of the remaining groups of citizens to be determined by health authorities.