More than 20 Brits on board the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak will be repatriated - but face having to quarantine for up to eight weeks.
The virus-hit ship, the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius , will arrive at the Canary Islands on Saturday, where after docking in Tenerife, passengers and crew members will be checked by medics.
Britain is scrambling to get UK citizens caught up in the outbreak of the rat-borne virus home.
They will then be repatriated as soon as possible, but because of the incubation period of the virus, that has a 40 per cent mortality rate, of up to eight weeks, they could be forced into quarantine to ensure there is no risk of the virus spreading in the UK.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said:“The outbreak of Hantavirus is very serious and deeply stressful for those affected and their families. The UK response is being led by the UK Health Security Agency working with the WHO.
“The Foreign Office is working urgently to support the UKHSA’s work overseas and to make sure British nationals on the MV Hondius can all get safely home with proper protection for public health.”
“Ministers are in close touch with our Dutch and Spanish counterparts and we have been working with other countries to facilitate the medical evacuations, to support our Overseas Territories and to get British nationals home safely as quickly as possible”, she added.
Almost 150 people, 19 of which are British passengers and four British crew members, are currently trapped onboard.
Efforts to get them to safety were dealt a blow with the regional government on the Canary Islands rejected the Spanish plan to allow the ship to stop in Tenerife.
The leader of the autonomous Spanish islands said this was due to “insufficient information” that public safety is guaranteed.
But they were overuled by Spain and the ship will now be allowed to dock.
Meanwhile a British doctor on the ship with suspected hantavirus has been medically evacuated from the vessel.
The crew member, along with a Dutch colleague and another passenger, were taken from the boat on Wednesday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed.
The Spanish health minister confirmed the doctor is now in a more "stable condition" after previously being in a "critical condition".
Three people who were aboard the cruise ship have died, after it set sail from Argentina to Cape Verde over a month ago, and an investigation has been launched into the cause of the outbreak.
Foreign Office staff have been speaking to Brits onboard by phone and email, while ministers are talking to counterparts from other counties on dealing with the crisis.
Foreign Office teams have been working with local authorities in Cape Verde and with the Dutch Government on safe medivacs for sick passengers at the earliest possible opportunity.
My thoughts are with those affected by the hantavirus outbreak onboard the MV Hondius.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) May 5, 2026
We are working closely with international partners to support British nationals on board and we’re putting plans in place for their safe onward travel.
The risk to the wider public remains…
This emergency work includes detailed ongoing planning of routes for safe medical evacuation if required.
The UK Health Security Agency is leading the Government’s response.
Official and ministerial level meetings have taken place to oversee the response, chaired by the Health Department and attended by the Chief Medical Officer.
Two crew members, including the ship’s reportedly British doctor, requiring urgent medical treatment were evacuated on a hospital aircraft to the Canary Islands on Tuesday, the WHO confirmed. A third person linked to a German national who died was also evacuated.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the global health body, posted on X: “Three suspected hantavirus case patients have just been evacuated from the ship and are on their way to receive medical care in the Netherlands in co-ordination with WHO, the ship’s operator and national authorities from Cabo Verde, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands.
“WHO continues to work with the ship’s operators to closely monitor the health of passengers and crew, working with countries to support appropriate medical follow-up and evacuation where needed.
“Monitoring and follow-up for passengers on board and for those who have already disembarked has been initiated in collaboration with the ship’s operators and national health authorities.
“At this stage, the overall public health risk remains low.”
#Hantavirus cluster linked to cruise ship travel:
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 5, 2026
Since 1 April when the boat set sail, of the 147 passengers and crew, 7 people have become ill, among whom 3 have died, 1 is critically ill and 3 are reporting mild symptoms.
Based on the current information, including how… pic.twitter.com/KDKwmrNeBt
The ship is expected to arrive at the Canary Islands in three days.
Tour operator Oceanwide Expeditions said in a statement: “At this stage, the planned destination for m/v Hondius following the successful medical transfer is the Canary Islands.
“Oceanwide Expeditions remains in close and continual discussion with relevant authorities regarding our exact point of arrival, quarantine and screening procedures for all guests, and a precise timeline.
“We are unable to confirm the details of onward travel for guests at this stage. This is dependent on medical advice and the outcome of stringent screening procedures.”
Passengers are confined to their cabins while “disinfection and other public health measures are carried out”, the WHO said on Tuesday.
Hantavirus is a group of viruses carried by rodents such as mice and rats, transmitted through their droppings or urine, but the WHO said in this case it could have spread among “really close contacts” aboard the ship.
The Andes strain of the virus has been confirmed in two passengers who were taken to South Africa, according to the country's health minister.
It stressed the risk to the general public was low.
