Health authorities are confirming that the evacuation of the passengers and some of the crew from the expedition ship Hondius was finished late on Monday, and the repatriation efforts were completed. The medical efforts shift to the individual countries with support from the World Health Organization and others.
Oceanwide Expeditions said in a statement late on Monday, May 11, that 122 people had left the cruise ship, 87 passengers and 35 crew, and all have departed Tenerife on individually arranged repatriation flights by the individual governments. The cruise line thanked the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dutch health authorities, the Spanish government, the individual governments, the World Health Organization, and the people of the Canary Islands for aiding in what has been a challenging and complex situation.
The individual countries are implementing their protocols, with most of the people being taken to military hospitals for further testing and observation. WHO officials explained that the ship did not have testing capabilities, which would have meant flying the tests to Spain, and instead they relied on checks such as body temperature and potential symptoms until the individuals could reach the medical facilities.
There are several reports of individuals now testing positive, including one in the United States. A French woman was reporting non-specific symptoms, but had no increased body temperature or respiratory distress before boarding the flight from Tenerife. However, during the flight, her health began to decline, and overnight her situation became critical. The French authorities report she has now tested positive and is in a hospital in Paris. Four other French passengers have tested negative.
In the U.S., the one person who tested positive, along with a second person who was showing mild, potential symptoms, and both were flown to a special unit at Emory University in Atlanta, while the other 16 are being observed in Nebraska. Because of the long incubation period, officials said it was possible that additional cases would emerge, but they continue to emphasize that the danger is low to the public.
Contact tracing remains a key concern for the individuals who left the cruise and flew home. French officials reported that they have identified 22 individuals who came in close contact with a patient. The individual disembarked and flew from St. Helena to Johannesburg and then on to Amsterdam.
The WHO reports it wanted to get everyone off the Hondius as quickly as possible because of forecasts of deteriorating weather conditions. The ship was forced to move to a dock on Monday afternoon due to high winds to complete the final disembarkations. The last flights were heading to the Netherlands, including six people who were to have flown to Australia. The Australian evacuation flight had a problem, and the decision was made to fly the people to the Netherlands.
Hondius completed reprovisioning and bunkering while docked in Granadilla, Tenerife. The ship departed at 1900 local time on Monday and is now sailing to Rotterdam with 25 crewmembers and two health officials onboard. When the ship reaches Rotterdam, which is tentatively set for Sunday, May 17, it will undergo a sanitation process. The remaining crewmembers will receive further medical screening and be placed in quarantine, Dutch officials report.
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