90-Second Read: Spanish passengers start disembarkation from ship hit by Hantavirus

Hantavirus is usually spread by rodents but can in rare cases be transmitted person-to-person. Groups of passengers and crew disembarked from a cruise ship hit by a deadly Hantavirus outbreak on Sunday to be evacuated to their home countries, where they will isolate according to national protocols to prevent further spread of the disease. The Spanish passengers will be kept in hospital for the full 42 days, while French passengers will be hospitalized for 72 hours, then allowed home to self-isolate for a further 45 days, according to the respective governments.

Government planes carrying Spanish and French nationals landed in Madrid and Paris on Sunday afternoon, and the passengers were transported to hospitals, according to the two countries' governments. The passengers will be tested upon arrival and then either taken to local hospitals, quarantine facilities, or transported home for isolation. The World Health Organization has recommended a 42-day quarantine for all passengers from the boat from Sunday, its director of epidemic and pandemic management, Maria Van Kerkhove, said in a briefing.

The luxury cruise ship left for Spain on Wednesday from the coast of Cape Verde, after the WHO and the European Union asked the country to manage the evacuation of passengers following the detection of the outbreak. Passengers were taken from the ship to shore in small boats and transported to Tenerife airport in military buses, without coming into contact with the public. Eight people on board fell ill, including three who died.