The French Prime Minister revealed that one passenger from a cruise ship facing a hantavirus outbreak began showing symptoms during repatriation to France and is currently quarantined.
On 10 May 2026, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu revealed that one of the French passengers evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship, which is dealing with a hantavirus spread, began showing symptoms during a charter flight from Tenerife to Paris.
After the French flight landed at Le Bourget Airport, personnel wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) awaited the five evacuees on the tarmac. An ambulance then transported all of them to Bichat Hospital in Paris.
The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs stated in a release that upon arrival at the hospital, the evacuees will be quarantined for 72 hours for detailed assessment before being sent to home quarantine for 45 days.
These French nationals are among over 90 tourists repatriated from the Dutch cruise ship on Sunday after it anchored off the coast of Tenerife, part of Spain’s Canary Islands.
The hantavirus outbreak on the ship has resulted in three passenger deaths, with two cases confirmed to be infected with the virus.
Meanwhile, 14 Spanish nationals traveling from Tenerife to Madrid are under mandatory quarantine at a military hospital in the Spanish capital.
British passengers have been repatriated to Manchester, with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reporting no British nationals are showing symptoms, though all remain under surveillance.
Additionally, a plane carrying 26 passengers and crew, including eight Dutch nationals, has arrived in the Netherlands. Flights are also scheduled to repatriate Turkish, Irish, and American citizens on Sunday.
The MV Hondius cruise ship anchored at Granadilla port on Sunday morning, and medical teams boarded around 07:00 local time, marking the start of a systematic and tightly coordinated repatriation process led by the Spanish government and the World Health Organization (WHO).
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Source:BBC