90-Second Read: Hantavirus quarantine ends for Americans held for six weeks in Nebraska

Three people died and 13 cases of the rare Andes strain of Hantavirus were identified on the Dutch-flagged vessel, leading to 18 Americans originally transferring to the national quarantine unit in Omaha. In previous outbreaks of the Andes virus, the only strain of Hantavirus known to be transmittable between humans, symptoms have taken up to 42 days to appear. Sixteen Americans were evacuated to the Nebraska quarantine unit in Omaha on 11 May, and two others joined them a few days later. In a statement to the Associated Press, an HHS spokesperson said the enforced 42-day quarantine of the final eight passengers, which some critics have called "authoritarian" and "unconstitutional", was necessary for the public good.

At least 30 other passengers disembarked before the outbreak was documented, including seven Americans who were allowed to monitor for symptoms at home. When the ship reached the Netherlands, 25 crew members and two medical personnel on board were required to enter quarantine. None of the Americans taken to Nebraska were reported to have contracted the disease, which is usually spread when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings. However, one passenger, Angela Perryman, said she was detained against her wishes.

The US health and human services department (HHS) confirmed that it had ended the required isolation for the group, who were among dozens evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship in the Canary Islands early in May. It followed HHS secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr's decision, to overrule medical advice by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that those exposed should self-quarantine at home. James Hodge, professor and director of the public health law and policy center at Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, said health officials should never "use unconstitutional, ill-advised, unproven techniques to control infectious diseases". Rosmarin, a Boston-based travel blogger with 165,000 Instagram followers, posted an earlier tearful "farewell" video thanking the staff of the quarantine unit, the Omaha community and his family and friends.

Most of those evacuated from the cruise ship were from other countries. Among those who died was a Dutch couple who health officials believe were the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America. It showed him leaving his room with two suitcases and a backpack, and turning out the lights as he walked out the door.