90-Second Read: What comes next for US and Canada passengers evacuated from Hantavirus-hit cruise ship

The passengers will only be considered a threat to public health if they were in close contact with someone experiencing Hantavirus symptoms, which is the only way the virus can spread between people. In Canada, passengers who were aboard the cruise ship have not displayed any symptoms of the Hantavirus, but have been ordered to self-isolate out of precaution. Dr Bonnie Henry, British Columbia's health officer, told reporters on Sunday that the passengers would be monitored daily, and that their self-isolation period could be extended up to 42 days if necessary, citing the Hantavirus' incubation period. Eighteen American and seven Canadian passengers from a virus-hit cruise ship that docked in Spain's Canary Islands have returned to North America to isolate and be evaluated at quarantine facilities.

In Canada, four passengers returned to their home province of British Columbia on Sunday night, where they will be self-isolating for at least 21 days. Speaking on Friday, before the US Hantavirus case was confirmed, officials at the facility said they did not "expect to see any of these passengers transported off on a gurney". At least seven passengers from the same cruise ship had returned to the US before the group of 17 were taken to Nebraska. A British national who resides in the US was evacuated along with the 18 Americans.

One of the group has tested positive and another has "mild symptoms", according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The four who have arrived in British Columbia will be quarantining at a "pre-determined" location for a minimum of 21 days, the Public Health Agency of Canada said. Officials continue to emphasise that Hantavirus should not be compared to Covid-19, which was much easier to spread. But she said she understood why people may feel anxious over news of the Hantavirus in the aftermath of Covid-19.

The latest CDC guidance for treating those who have potentially been exposed to the virus states that "the recommended monitoring period is for 42 days after the last potential exposure". Also on Monday, HHS confirmed that two passengers from the airlift flight were taken to a specialised facility at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Once back home, they will continue to be monitored by local health officials, "with the CDC support all the way", said Bhattacharya.