A passenger from the cruise ship struck by a hantavirus outbreak has developed symptoms while being repatriated to France, the country’s prime minister said on Sunday.
French PM Sébastien Lecornu said the national developed symptoms on a chartered flight from Tenerife to Paris, prompting authorities to place all five French evacuees from the MV Hondius in “strict isolation until further notice.” The flight landed at Le Bourget Airport, where officials in personal protective equipment met evacuees on the tarmac. The group was transferred to Bichat hospital for a 72-hour assessment quarantine before being sent home to self-isolate for 45 days, France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said.
The French citizens were among more than 90 of the 150 passengers and crew ferried off the Dutch-flagged vessel on Sunday, which anchored off the Canary Islands before dawn. Three passengers have died after travelling on the ship, two of whom were confirmed to have had the virus.
Spain placed 14 of its nationals in mandatory quarantine at a military hospital in Madrid. British evacuees were flown to Manchester, where no symptoms had been reported. A group of 26 passengers and crew, including eight Dutch nationals, arrived in the Netherlands. Flights from the US, Türkiye and Ireland were also scheduled, and an Australian flight is expected on Monday.
The first symptomatic case after the evacuation marks a significant turn in the outbreak — the disease has now appeared outside the ship, complicating quarantine and contact-tracing operations across multiple destinations. Earlier this week, more than 90 passengers were placed on evacuation flights coordinated by the EU and individual governments following Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s visit to Tenerife.
