MV Hondius Expected to Arrive at Granadilla Port on Sunday

m. local time, officials said. The ship will anchor rather than dock, and passengers will wear hazmat gear as they are transferred by boat to the port, according to the Canarias Region government. Passengers will then board buses escorted by authorities for a 15-minute ride to Tenerife South Airport, where they will be flown out by nationality.

Officials said the passengers and the vessel will remain isolated from local residents and will not affect Canarian infrastructure. There are 23 nationalities represented among those on board. The arrival could be delayed depending on weather conditions.

Outbreak Response The U.S.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention activated its Emergency Operations Center and classified the hantavirus outbreak as a Level 3 emergency response, the lowest level of activation. The classification indicates that the risk to the general public remains low while the situation is actively monitored.

An emergency team has been assembled, which may include re-assigned epidemiologists, scientists and physicians. Global health authorities continue to monitor more than 100 passengers who remain on the ship. The World Health Organization is tracking their health status.

Officials said the overall public health risk remains low, though there may be some person-to-person spread. Three people who had been aboard the ship are known to have died from the virus. The total number of confirmed cases linked to the outbreak is increasing, health officials said.

Health officials in multiple states are monitoring passengers who returned to the U.S. for potential infections.

The United Kingdom's Health Security Agency reported an additional suspected case involving a British national on Tristan da Cunha. A Dutch KLM flight attendant previously suspected of infection tested negative for hantavirus. The total suspected case count stands at 12 following these updates.

All British passengers and crew from the MV Hondius will be asked to isolate for 45 days upon returning to the UK. The agency said it will monitor them closely and conduct testing as required. Two infected patients are in isolation in Dutch hospitals.

A passenger aboard the ship, Kasem Ibn Hattuta, said in a statement that other passengers are remaining calm. Doctors have joined the ship, which he described as reassuring. No one currently has hantavirus-related symptoms, according to the statement.

>"The vibe on the ship might’ve been calm with a bit of concern because we were worried about the sick ones, but now it doesn’t feel different than any of the other sea days we had before. " — Kasem Ibn Hattuta The ship departed Praia, Cape Verde, on May 6, 2026.