The cruise ship MV Hondius anchored off Granadilla, Tenerife early Sunday, dropping anchor near the island’s industrial port at about 5:30 a.m. Local officials said passenger evacuations were to begin as soon as possible and that they want everyone off the ship and out of the Canary Islands by the end of the day, with the vessel itself leaving the area before nightfall.
Spanish authorities have set up reception areas at the port and erected tents to process disembarking travelers. Repatriation flights are being organized for multiple countries, and officials said national groups will be taken off the ship only when the aircraft bound for their destinations are ready to depart. The Spanish army will provide transport from the port to those flights.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited Tenerife on Saturday to inspect the port and meet Spanish health officials. He said the likelihood of transmission to the local population is low given the characteristics of the hantavirus and the preparations made, but acknowledged public concern shaped by recent pandemic experience and said he came “to be on the side of the people.”
Spanish authorities said plans include six repatriation flights within the European Union and four flights for non-EU countries. Spanish nationals are expected to disembark first and be flown to Madrid for quarantine at the Gómez-Ulla military hospital, authorities said. Officials also reported that no one on board has shown symptoms.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the European Civil Protection Mechanism had provided two aircraft to assist EU countries without air transport resources. He described a staged disembarkation process by nationality: passengers will only leave the ship when the aircraft for their country is on the runway and ready to fly.
U.S. federal officials said American passengers who are repatriated will not be subject to mandatory quarantine on arrival. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official said the U.S. is not planning to quarantine anyone and that testing is not recommended for asymptomatic people. As of Saturday, none of the 17 Americans aboard had tested positive for hantavirus, U.S. officials said.
Instead of mandatory isolation, U.S. passengers will be evaluated on arrival and may choose home-based monitoring for 42 days while staying in contact with state or local health departments. Officials may advise those monitoring at home to limit activities that involve extensive contact with others. The National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center will be available if needed, but its use will not be required.
Authorities in Tenerife continued preparing the port and coordinating logistics with international partners to speed safe disembarkation and transfers. The response combines local Spanish resources, military transport, European assistance and guidance from the WHO and other public health agencies as officials manage the evacuation and repatriation process.