Tourist ship hit by hantavirus arrives in Tenerife

Almost a month after the first passenger died from hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, it has finally arrived in Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

Intensive preparations have been made to welcome the ship at the port of Granadillas and help more than 100 people disembark for repatriation.

The Hondius arrived near the port before dawn, but even now it will not be allowed to approach the shore: a security perimeter of one nautical mile has been established around the ship as it approaches the island.

The complex operation to prevent the spread of the rare Andean variant of this virus has been described by the Spanish Health Minister as "unprecedented".

The operation, which involves 23 countries, has been planned with the utmost care for safety and to respond to the concerns of disgruntled locals. Among them is the president of the Canary Islands, who has declared that he "will not rest" until all passengers and crew are off.

"The risk of infection for the general population is low," Health Minister Mónica García reiterated on Saturday.

"We believe that alarmism, misinformation and confusion are contrary to the basic principles of preserving public health."

Security measures at the port, an industrial area in the south of Tenerife, were significantly increased on Saturday. Spanish military police and disaster response teams set up large tents, while access to the coastline was restricted.

Once the Hondius was in position, around 07:00 on Sunday morning (06:00 GMT), medical teams were expected to board to check everyone for signs of the virus. Latest reports say no one else is showing symptoms.

The people will then be divided into groups according to nationality and transported to the coast by small boats. By then, charter planes are expected to be ready on the runway of the local airport for their repatriation.

Earlier on Saturday, the Home Secretary said the UK, US and several European Union member states were sending planes. Medically equipped planes are also on standby in case anyone needs to be sent into isolation.

Meanwhile, the Spanish nationals will be transported to Madrid, where they will undergo mandatory quarantine at the Gomez Ulla military hospital. Complete isolation could be very difficult, as the virus has an incubation period of up to nine weeks, and it is not yet clear how long the quarantine will last for people in Spain or elsewhere.

The director of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is now in Tenerife to oversee the disembarkation of passengers, has praised the authorities for their "strong and effective response" to the outbreak.