MADRID, May 9 2026 – Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said on Saturday that the cruise ship MV Hondius is expected to arrive at the port of Granadilla on the Spanish island of Tenerife between 4 am and 6 am local time (0300-0500 GMT) on Sunday, as authorities continue to monitor a hantavirus outbreak linked to the vessel.
Speaking to the media, Garcia said the first step upon the ship’s arrival would be to check whether any passengers show symptoms of the virus. Passengers will disembark wearing face masks, she added, reported Xinhua.
Garcia stressed that there are currently no new contacts in Spain linked to confirmed hantavirus cases and reiterated that “the risk to the population remains low.”
The minister is scheduled to travel to Tenerife later on Saturday together with Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska and World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Meanwhile, a person identified in Catalonia as having been in contact with the Dutch woman who died from hantavirus after travelling aboard the MV Hondius entered quarantine at Barcelona’s Hospital Clinic on Saturday.
According to Toni Castells, medical director of the hospital, the virus has an incubation period of between three and six weeks, meaning the quarantine could last up to six weeks.
Castells said the individual is not considered a patient, but rather an asymptomatic contact. As a result, contact tracing will only be activated if the person tests positive for hantavirus.
Spanish authorities have also identified two additional contacts who travelled on the same flight of the deceased Dutch passenger.
–BERNAMA
