Spanish authorities will ban ships from approaching less than one nautical mile to the MV Hondius liner, which previously had an outbreak of hantavirus on board, after it entered the maritime zone of the Canary Islands, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlasca said.
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An outbreak of the deadly Hantavirus occurred on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, which was en route from Argentina to Cape Verde. WHO has confirmed seven cases of infection, three people have died.
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“A ban has been agreed on any navigation less than one nautical mile from the Hondius vessel after its entry into the Canary Islands marine area,” Grande-Marlasca said at a press conference on Saturday.
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According to him, the entire mechanism for receiving the vessel and the subsequent repatriation of passengers has already been prepared, regardless of the exact time of arrival. The minister explained that a command post will be deployed on the island of Tenerife, which will manage the entire operation. He stressed that the developed mechanism excludes passengers’ contact with the civilian population of the Canary Islands.
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Hantaviruses are a genus of viruses that are transmitted to humans through contact with rodents. Hantaviruses can cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
