Spain: WHO advises six-week quarantine for hantavirus-hit cruise passengers.

Shotlist Island of Tenerife, Spain - May 10, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius at Port of Granadilla 2. Various of boats carrying medical workers, evacuated passengers sailing 3. Various of evacuated passengers boarding bus, bus leaving 4. World Health Organization (WHO) officials discussing 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Boris Pavlin, medical epidemiologist, World Health Organization: "I'm extremely happy with what I've seen so far. This has been an extremely cooperative, collegial international effort." 6. Various of cruise ship docking, boats sailing 7. Various of WHO officials, others waiting at port, buses 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, World Health Organization: "Of course, [for] countries, we advise them, but at the end of the day we don't impose." 9. Various of cruise ship docking, boats sailing Storyline The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised a six-week quarantine period for passengers evacuated from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius, which arrived off the Port of Granadilla on the Spanish island of Tenerife early Sunday. The vessel docked at 05:30 local time in the southern part of the island, where international media gathered to document the complex evacuation operation. Passengers had their temperatures checked and completed health questionnaires before officials from individual countries conducted their own health assessments. Passengers who were found to have no symptoms put on masks and protective suits before boarding small boats in groups of seven to come to shore. Upon reaching the dock, evacuees were immediately transferred to Spanish military buses, which took them directly to the South Tenerife Airport, about a 10-minute drive away, for repatriation flights. Spanish authorities confirmed that 94 people of 19 different nationalities had been evacuated as of Sunday evening. An official from the WHO said he was satisfied by the handling of the process at the port. "I'm extremely happy with what I've seen so far. This has been an extremely cooperative, collegial international effort," said Boris Pavlin, a medical epidemiologist at WHO. But the ordeal is not yet over for many passengers, with the WHO recommending a six-week isolation period, given that the Andes strain of Hantavirus which spread on the ship has a long incubation period of up to eight weeks. However, the ultimate decision over how to impose this advised quarantine time-frame will ultimately be decided by each individual country. Notably, the United States is the only nation that has chosen not to require a mandatory isolation period for its citizens. When asked about this, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the organization can only put forward its recommendations in the hope that respective countries and governments may heed their advice. "Of course, [for] countries, we advise them, but at the end of the day we don't impose," Tedros said. Despite lingering concerns, the WHO has stressed that this outbreak is not comparable to COVID-19, given the relatively limited human-to-human transmission. The MV Hondius departed Argentina on April 1 with more than 140 passengers and crew from 23 countries on board. Following the evacuations, the ship is now set to sail to its home port in the Netherlands to undergo a full disinfection process.