90-Second Read: Spain rolls out unprecedented operation to disembark evacuees of Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship

On board the cruise ship were the 152 people who had endured an outbreak of the Andes variant of the Hantavirus, the only known strain that can spread from human to human. In Spain, a woman who developed symptoms after sharing a flight in Johannesburg with one of the people who died from Hantavirus remains in isolation at a hospital in Alicante. Oceanwide, the company that operates the cruise ship, announced on Sunday that, after completing the passenger disembarkation, the ship would refuel in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a claim that has been categorically denied by the Port Health Authority. Waiting on land were political authorities and more than 300 accredited journalists from 60 media outlets to report on an evacuation operation involving 23 countries.

The Netherlands is partly responsible for these passengers because the cruise ship is Dutch-owned. Once the operation is finished, the ship "will sail to the port of Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, with the remaining crew members on board," the company reported. Underlined in the screenshot was the phrase: "Rats are excellent swimmers." Clavijo was arguing that he could not authorize the Hondius to dock because there was a risk that rodents carrying Hantavirus would jump off the ship, swim to shore, and infect the Canary Islanders. Most passengers walked out of the 'MV Hondius' on Sunday, with a few more set to do so Monday.

But after disembarking, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that one of the five repatriated French citizens developed symptoms during the flight back to Paris. If any of them develop symptoms, they will be transferred to the ward that was used to quarantine the 21 Spaniards repatriated from Wuhan in 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the Spanish passengers, French, Canadian, Dutch, British, Irish, and Turkish travelers disembarked as well. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, highlighted from the port itself the leadership of Spain and Tenerife in managing the crisis.

The first to leave the ship were the 14 Spaniards, who are now in quarantine at Gómez Ulla Military Hospital in Madrid, where they will await the results of tests to confirm whether they are virus-free. The Hondius entered Granadilla six hours later, and the operation continued. A few crew members are also remaining behind to steer the ship back to the Netherlands.