Filipino crew from hantavirus-hit ship face 42-day quarantine in Netherlands

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine authorities said Sunday night, May 10, that 24 of the 38 Filipino crew members of the hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius will disembark in Spain, then fly to the Netherlands for a 42-day quarantine.

Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said in a press briefing that four of them will disembark at the Canary Islands on May 10, while the remaining 20 will disembark on May 11.

These 24 crew members held stewardship positions on the ship.

After disembarking, they will be board a repatriation flight to the Netherlands, where they will undergo a 42-day quarantine.

The remaining 14 Filipino crew members on board, with deck and engine assignments, will sail the MV Hondius to the port of Rotterdam, Netherlands. They will also be subject to quarantine after that.

The DMW is preparing for the crew members’ eventual repatriation to the Philippines after they undergo testing in the Netherlands.

Department of Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said that while the country is ready for all necessary medical procedures needed by the seafarers once they arrive, additional testing is unnecessary.

“No need to test na actually kapag released na sila from quarantine,” Herbosa said. (There’s no need to test further once they’re released from quarantine.)

The MV Hondius arrived at the shores of Tenerife, Canary Islands, at 6:24 am local time. Passengers and a limited number of crew members have been disembarking in groups through launch boats.

All symptomatic patients have left the ship for medical assistance on May 6. The remaining passengers and crew members on board were declared asymptomatic as of May 7

Contact with crew members

On Saturday, May 9, Cacdac shared in an X post that he had a virtual meeting with some of the Filipino crew aboard the MV Hondius, who said they tested negative for hantavirus.

“Ang mood nila is not as alarmed (Their mood is not alarmed)… they’re fine and safe on board. But having said that, of course, the priority is to repatriate them out of the ship,” he mentioned during the briefing.

Cacdac also said that strict medical protocols were enforced on the ship before docking at the Canary Islands.

WHO response to hantavirus outbreak

On May 4, Netherlands-based shipowner Oceanwide Expeditions and the World Health Organization separately reported a suspected hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius after three passengers died, two of them confirmed to have been infected with the virus.

In a press briefing earlier held at the port of Tenerife, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak is entirely different from COVID-19, and the risk of another pandemic from the hantavirus is low.

“This is not another COVID, and the risk to the public is low. [Everyone] shouldn’t be scared, and they shouldn’t panic. This is based on how the virus is behaving now, because this virus is well-known, and there are assessments that have been done,” he said. – Rappler.com