90-Second Read: MV Hondius nears end of voyage after Hantavirus ordeal

The Dutch-flagged luxury cruise ship had been carrying around 150 passengers and crew from 23 countries when it reported three deaths from Hantavirus earlier this month. A total of 17 people from the Philippines, four from the Netherlands, four from Ukraine, one from Russia and one from Poland will disembark the Hondius after a more than two week-ordeal. Hondius had been stranded off Cape Verde, its intended final destination, after the African archipelagic country refused to take the ship in due to the outbreak first reported on May 2. The Hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius cruise ship will dock at its final destination, Rotterdam, on Monday.

The ship's operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said that everyone still on board is asymptomatic and being closely monitored by the two medics with them. The ship then set sail for Tenerife in the Canary Islands, where Spanish authorities managed a complex repatriation operation and evacuated over 120 passengers and crew. As of May 15, there were 10 WHO reported cases, including the three deaths. The remaining crew on board, including two medics, will disembark the ship.

The body of a German woman who died during the voyage is also on board. The Hondius would undergo cleaning and disinfection, Oceanwide Expeditions said. The Hondius began its South Atlantic journey from Argentina on April 1. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The people who left the ship and those who came in contact with them were quarantined in several nations around the world.

On Saturday, Canada said that one of its nationals who had been a passenger on the Hondius had provisionally tested positive. Since the outbreak was reported, the WHO has scrambled to allay fears that it was not a repeat of the COVID-19 pandemic, assuring that contagion was very rare. Local authorities said quarantine facilities had been set up for some of the non-Dutch crew.