The first Britons to disembark the hantavirus-struck cruise ship the MV Hondius have been pictured on the island of Tenerife, near where the ship has anchored.
Twenty-two British nationals were on board the ship, according to the cruise organiser, and will now be flown to the UK.
On arrival, they will be taken to a hospital in Wirral, Merseyside, for “clinical assessment and testing”, health officials said. They will be held for 72 hours, after which specialists will decide whether they can isolate at home or another suitable location.
It comes after Spanish citizens were evacuated earlier on Sunday, and have since arrived at a military hospital in Madrid.
The country’s health officials described the situation as “unprecedented” on Sunday morning as it confirmed all passengers remain asymptomatic.
Passengers from a host of nationalities are boarding sealed-off buses to the island's main airport, about 10 minutes away, to board repatriation planes for heading to their respective countries.
The ship’s arrival has been met with protest on the island, as residents fear possible exposure to the virus.
Read MoreSingapore says two cruise ship passengers test negative for hantavirus
Inside the military-style Tenerife operation to get passengers off the hantavirus cruise ship
Mapped: The countries affected by the cruise ship Hantavirus outbreak that has killed three people
What is hantavirus? Symptoms you need to know after deadly cruise ship outbreak
Key Points
- Breaking: Cruise ship hit by hantavirus outbreak arrives in Tenerife
- British passengers begin evacuation back to UK
- UK’s initial Covid quarantine will be used to isolate Britons
- No mandatory quarantine for Americans, says CDC
- EU says all passengers on hantavirus-hit ship considered high-risk
- Spanish health minister says operation is 'unprecedented'
Recap: Everything that has happened on Sunday as evacuations begin
17:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneAfter a week sailing from Cape Verde to the Canary Islands, the MV Hondius anchored off the Tenerife coast early on Sunday morning.
Spanish health officials later boarded the vessel and conducted initial assessments of all the passengers on board, who were all confirmed to be asymptomatic.
The Spaniards on board were evacuated first at around 11am. Pictures showed them being escorted onto a small boat to reach land, before boarding a bus and eventually a plane to fly to a military hospital in Madrid.
Other nationalities are now awaiting evacuation, and will similarly be transported to specialist facilities in their home countries.
What we know about the Britons on board
17:14 , Dan Haygarth
British passengers of a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak have been evacuated from the vessel, as they will now flown home to isolate at the UK’s initial Covid quarantine site.
The MV Hondius arrived in Tenerife on Sunday morning, with Spanish authorities beginning evacuations of the ship by nationality and ferrying passengers to a port by small boat.
A chartered Titan Airways flight is scheduled to evacuate Britons on Sunday afternoon, with the Airbus A320’s passengers then to be taken from Manchester Airport to isolate at the UK’s initial Covid quarantine site.
While they were being bussed from the port at Granadilla de Abona to Tenerife South Airport, some British passengers waved and gave thumbs up while clad in blue PPE as they passed watching media.
Some 22 British nationals were taken to shore – with 20 to get on the repatriation flight and two dual-nationals to head elsewhere, Sky News reported.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said its goal was to finish the ship’s evacuation, with the exception of 30 crew members remaining on board, by 7pm on Monday.
Passengers have been told to leave their luggage on the ship and are only allowed to take a small bag with essential items such as their phone and passport.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said British passengers and crew will be transferred to an isolation facility at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, Merseyside, after being repatriated to the UK.
In pictures: Aid parachuted in to Briton on remote island
17:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneEarlier we brought you the news that specialist aid had been parachuted in to a British national on the remote island of Tristan da Cunha who is displaying symptoms of hantavirus.
The Briton had been travelling on the MV Hondius.
We can now bring you these remarkable pictures of the operation, which foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said were the first of their kind.
What the UKHSA says about risk to public health
16:59 , Dan HaygarthThe risk to the general public remains very low, the UK Health Security Agency said in a statement on Saturday night.
Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at UKHSA, said: “Established infection control measures will be in place at every step of the journey, and passengers will receive full support throughout, including during their period of isolation.”
The hospital the Britons are being taken to
16:30 , Dan Haygarth
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said 22 British passengers and crew will be transferred to an isolation facility at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, Merseyside, after being repatriated to the UK.
After returning to the UK, the passengers will be housed and provided with clothes at an accommodation block on the Arrowe Park site, away from the hospital’s public areas to receive clinical assessments and testing as a precautionary measure.
The hospital was used as the UK’s initial Covid quarantine site in 2020. Blue tarped fences around accommodation blocks being erected on Sunday morning.
Emergency services in the North West of England said they expected the passengers to be kept in the “managed setting” for up to 72 hours.
They added that the NHS Trust and hospital is “operating as normal” with no risk to patients, visitors or staff and “people should continue to come forward for care as usual”.
Following their isolation, public health specialists will assess whether passengers can isolate at home or at another suitable location based on their living arrangements.
Britons returning to the UK will stay in self-isolation for 45 days and will not be allowed to take public transport to their homes.
What happens now for the evacuated Britons?
16:20 , Nicole Wootton-CaneBritish passengers and crew have now disembarked the cruise ship and will be taken back to the UK for further testing.
Once they arrive in the country, the 22 Britons will be taken to a hospital in Wirral, Merseyside, for “clinical assessment and testing, health chiefs said.
They will be held for 72 hours, after which specialists will decide whether they can isolate at home for 45 days or another suitable location.
A joint statement from NHS England North West, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB, Merseyside Police, North West Ambulance Service, and Wirral Council added: “In line with advice from the UK Health Security Agency, on arrival they will be taken to a managed setting for clinical assessment and testing. We expect this initial stay to be up to 72 hours.
“Following this, public health specialists will assess whether they can isolate at home or at another suitable location, based on their living arrangements. The risk to the general population remains very low.
“Our partner organisations are working together to ensure that all returning passengers are welcomed, comfortable and well supported throughout their stay.”
There are currently 22 British citizens - 19 passengers and three crew members - being evacuated.
None of the passengers coming back to the UK are showing symptoms of the virus, the chief of the World Health Organisation said earlier.
British passengers begin evacuation back to UK
16:02 , Nicole Wootton-CaneTwenty-two Britons who had been travelling on the MV Hondius are now being evacuated, it is understood.
Pictures show the passengers wearing blue PPE boarding a bus, which will take them to Tenerife Sud airport, where they will then board a flight back to the UK.
All the passengers are asymptomatic and will be flown to a specialist facility in Merseyside.
Spanish passengers arrive at military hospital in Madrid
16:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneSpanish passengers on board the MV Hondius have now arrived at the Gomez Ulla Military Hospital in Madrid.
Pictures show police helping to escort a convoy carrying the 13 Spanish passengers into the hospital, where they will receive further testing.
Dutch passengers begin evacuation
15:45 , Nicole Wootton-CaneDutch passengers are now evacuating the MV Hondius, following French and Spanish citizens.
The Dutch plane will also transport passengers from Germany, Belgium and Greece, Spanish health minister Monica Garcia said on Sunday.
After that, passengers from Turkey, France, the UK and US will be evacuated.
Deadly hantavirus cruise ship outbreak caused by couple’s birdwatching trip to landfill site, experts fear
15:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe deadly outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship may have been caused by a Dutch couple contracting the illness during a bird-watching outing in Ushuaia, Argentina, health officials fear.
Two Argentine officials investigating the origins of the outbreak on the ship, which sailed from southern Argentina, said this is now the government’s leading hypothesis.
The couple visited a landfill site during the birdwatching tour, authorities said, where they may have been exposed to rodents carrying the infection. Authorities previously said that Ushuaia and the surrounding province of Tierra del Fuego had never recorded a case of the hantavirus.
You can read more below:
Hantavirus cruise ship outbreak ‘possibly caused by couple’s birdwatching trip’
Army parachutes team onto remote island to help British suspected hantavirus case
15:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneA specialist team of army and medical personnel have been parachuted on to the British overseas territory Tristan da Cunha with medical aid and equipment after a British national showed symptoms of hantavirus.
The patient had been on board the cruise ship MV Hondius where an outbreak of the virus has killed three people, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed.
They are currently in hospital on the island where they live, the UK minister for the overseas territories, Stephen Doughty, said in a statement.
You can read more below:
Army parachutes team onto remote island to support Briton with suspected hantavirus
French medics await arrival of passengers
14:59 , Nicole Wootton-CaneFrench medics have been pictured this afternoon awaiting the arrival of French citizens off the MV Hondius at Paris Le Bourget airport in Le Bourget.
The group were one of the first to leave Tenerife earlier on Sunday.
Spain carrying out 'compassionate' and 'efficient' operation, health ministry says
14:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneSpain is carrying out a “compassionate” and “efficient” operation to evacuate more than 140 people from a virus-stricken cruise ship, the country’s health ministry has said.
In a post on X, health minister Monica Garcia wrote: “The entire world is watching us, and Spain has demonstrated its capacity to lead an international public health emergency.
“We are carrying out an unprecedented evacuation in coordination with 23 countries. We are a compassionate and efficient country at the same time.”
El mundo entero nos está mirando y España ha demostrado su capacidad para liderar una emergencia sanitaria internacional.
— Mónica García (@Monica_Garcia_G) May 10, 2026
Estamos ejecutando una evacuación sin precedentes en coordinación con 23 países.
Somos un país solidario y eficiente al mismo tiempo. pic.twitter.com/IhTJT3qD7T
Watch: Drone footage captures Hantavirus-hit cruise ship passengers disembarking vessel
14:15 , Nicole Wootton-CaneBritish passengers on hantavirus-hit cruise ship to isolate at UK Covid-quarantine hospital
14:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneBritish passengers from a cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak are set to be repatriated to the UK, where they will be transferred to the isolation facility at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral.
The Merseyside hospital gained prominence as the nation’s initial quarantine site for British citizens returning from Wuhan, China, at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in January 2020.
Twenty-two British nationals, comprising both passengers and crew from the MV Hondius, are anticipated to arrive in Tenerife, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, this Sunday.
You can read more below:
British passengers on hantavirus cruise ship to isolate at hospital
Spain's health minister says evacuation from hantavirus-hit ship to run into Monday afternoon
13:45 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe evacuation process of passengers from the cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak anchored near Tenerife will take until Monday afternoon local time, Spain's health minister said on Sunday.
Spaniards disembarked first as planned, and will be followed by passengers from the Netherlands, whose plane will also transport passengers from Germany, Belgium, and Greece, officials said.
After that, passengers from Turkey, France, Great Britain and the United States will be evacuated, the minister added, speaking to reporters at the port of Tenerife.
Watch: Trump says hantavirus situation ‘under very good control’
13:36 , Nicole Wootton-CaneCanada, the Netherlands, the UK, Turkey, Ireland, and the United States set to evacuate citizens
13:15 , Nicole Wootton-CaneCanada, the Netherlands, the UK, Turkey, Ireland, and the United States will be the next countries to evacuate citizens from the MV Hondius, Spanish health officials said.
It comes after Spanish and French nationals were evacuated on charter flights earlier on Sunday.
Recap: Evacuation of virus-stricken cruise ship under way
13:15 , Amy-Clare MartinPassengers have begun evacuating from a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak, as Britons on board prepare to be flown home to isolate at the UK’s initial Covid quarantine site.
The MV Hondius arrived in Tenerife on Sunday morning, with Spanish authorities beginning evacuations of the ship by nationality.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said 22 British passengers and crew will be transferred to an isolation facility at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, Merseyside, after being repatriated to the UK on a chartered flight.
Spanish authorities said on Sunday that no passengers on the ship were showing symptoms of the virus, with 14 Spanish nationals who formed the first group to be evacuated from the vessel being flown to a hospital in Madrid.
French passengers will leave the ship next, followed by nationals from Canada, the Netherlands, the UK, Türkiye, Ireland and the US.
Why are cruise ships prone to disease outbreaks? From hantavirus to COVID
13:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneCruises are sold as floating holidays, but they are also useful for understanding public health. Cruise ships are carefully designed places where many people live, eat, relax and move through the same shared spaces for days at a time. They show how easily illness can spread when people are packed into a single interconnected environment.
Think of a cruise ship as a temporary city at sea. It has restaurants, theatres, lifts, cabins, kitchens, water systems and indoor gathering spaces. That is great for convenience, but it also means that once an infection gets on board, it can move through the ship in ways that are hard to stop.
The Diamond Princess outbreak is perhaps the best-known example. During the 2020 COVID outbreak, 619 passengers and crew tested positive for the disease. Researchers found that the ship conditions made the novel coronavirus spread more easily. Their modelling suggested that public health measures, such as isolation and quarantine, prevented many more cases, but it also showed that an earlier response would have further limited the outbreak.
Norovirus (the so-called vomiting bug) is the infection most closely linked to cruise ships. In a review of previously published studies, researchers found 127 reports of norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships, with many linked to contaminated food, contaminated surfaces and person-to-person spread. A more recent report from the US also showed that norovirus can spread very rapidly from person to person on a cruise ship.
This helps explain why ships such as Celebrity Mercury, Explorer of the Seas and Carnival Triumph have become familiar names in outbreak reports. These were not unusual in some special way; they were simply settings where shared dining, close contact and frequent movement through common areas allowed infection to spread fast.
Why are cruise ships prone to disease outbreaks? From hantavirus to COVID
In pictures: Passengers in blue protective suits board French government plane
12:45 , Amy-Clare Martin
Watch: Army parachutes team on to Tristan da Cunha to support hantavirus response
12:30 , Nicole Wootton-CanePassengers fear being ostracised after disembarking
12:15 , Nicole Wootton-CaneIn interviews with The Associated Press, two Spanish passengers — speaking on condition of anonymity because of fears they’ll be ostracised once on land — said that despite the outbreak, their days aboard have passed with relative tranquility.
Some people are bird-watching, and others are gathering in common areas to read or attend talks, while wearing masks and social distancing. Both passengers told AP they’re worried about how they’ll be treated in Spain and once home.
“We’re scared by all the news that’s coming out, by how people are going to receive us, by how people see us,” one said. “We’re just normal people. We’ve heard that this is a millionaires’ cruise, and it’s the complete opposite of reality. And we’re scared by this.”
Spanish evacuees leave on flight to Madrid
11:58 , Nicole Wootton-CaneAll Spanish evacuees on board a flight to Madrid are asymptomatic, the country’s health ministry has confirmed.
In a post on X, health minister Monica Garcia wrote: “The 14 Spaniards board the plane bound for Gómez Ulla. They have been evacuated in small groups, in UME bubble buses, with disinfection processes and personal protective equipment in every phase of the transfer.
“External Health confirms that all of them are asymptomatic.”
Los 14 españoles suben al avión con destino al Gómez Ulla.
— Mónica García (@Monica_Garcia_G) May 10, 2026
Han sido evacuados en grupos reducidos, en autobuses burbuja de la UME, con procesos de desinfección y equipos de protección individual en cada fase del traslado.
Sanidad Exterior confirma que todos están asintomáticos.
Spanish evacuees board charter flight to Madrid
11:42 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Mapped: The countries affected by the cruise ship Hantavirus outbreak that has killed three people
11:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneSix of the eight suspected cases of hantavirus linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship have now been confirmed, the World Health Organization said at a press briefing.
The wider public health threat from the outbreak remained low, director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus insisted, adding that the WHO was aware of reports of other patients, with more possible due to the incubation period for the virus.
It comes as passengers disembark the virus-stricken ship to return to their home countries, where many will be asked to isolate.
You can read more about each affected country below:
Mapped: Countries affected by cruise ship Hantavirus outbreak that has killed three
In pictures: UK hospital prepares for arrival of Hondius passengers
11:00 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Recap: What will happen to British passengers when they arrive in UK?
10:49 , Nicole Wootton-CaneBritish passengers and crew arriving from the hantavirus-struck cruise ship will be taken to a hospital in Wirral, Merseyside, for “clinical assessment and testing, health chiefs have confirmed.
They will be held for 72 hours, after which specialists will decide whether they can isolate at home for 45 days or another suitable location.
A joint statement from NHS England North West, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB, Merseyside Police, North West Ambulance Service, and Wirral Council added: “In line with advice from the UK Health Security Agency, on arrival they will be taken to a managed setting for clinical assessment and testing. We expect this initial stay to be up to 72 hours.
“Following this, public health specialists will assess whether they can isolate at home or at another suitable location, based on their living arrangements. The risk to the general population remains very low.
“Our partner organisations are working together to ensure that all returning passengers are welcomed, comfortable and well supported throughout their stay.”
There are currently 22 British citizens - 19 passengers and three crew members - still aboard the vessel.
None of the passengers on the ship are showing symptoms of the virus, the chief of the World Health Organisation said earlier.
What is hantavirus? Symptoms you need to know after deadly cruise ship outbreak
10:45 , Nicole Wootton-CaneA suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship has claimed three lives.
There are five confirmed and three suspected cases of the virus, including two people who returned to the UK and a British man in hospital in the Netherlands. Several people who were on board the MV Hondius are isolating,
The World Health Organization (WHO) said that detailed investigations are currently underway into the incident, including extensive laboratory testing and epidemiological studies to understand the virus's spread. Sequencing of the virus from the current outbreak is also ongoing.
Hantaviruses, which have been present for centuries, has a documented history of outbreaks across Asia and Europe, but it is rare to pass between humans.
You can read more below:
What is hantavirus? Symptoms you need to know after deadly cruise ship outbreak
Watch: Cruise ship evacuation begins in ‘unprecedented’ operation off Tenerife
10:31 , Nicole Wootton-CanePassengers dressed in blue protective suits board bus
10:11 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Group of Spanish nationals set to be evacuated to Madrid
10:05 , Nicole Wootton-CaneA first group of passengers, all Spanish nationals, has begun to disembark into a small boat from the cruise ship which was hit by a hantavirus outbreak and is headed to Tenerife's Port of Granadilla, Spain's health ministry said.
The passengers will be transported directly from the port in military buses to the airport and evacuated by a Spanish government plane to Madrid where they will taken to hospital and quarantined, officials have said.
First people disembark MV Hondius
09:51 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe first passengers are disembarking the MV Hondius in Tenerife.
Authorities previously said Spanish citizens would be taken off board first.
Passengers will not leave boat until allocated plane arrives, officials say
09:45 , Nicole Wootton-CanePassengers will not leave the boat until their allocated evacuation plane has arrived, Spanish officials said.
Passengers from the Netherlands will be the next group to leave the vessel, and their plane will also transport passengers from Germany, Belgium and Greece, Spanish health minister Monica Garcia said on Sunday.
After that, passengers from Turkey, France, the UK and U.S. will be evacuated, the minister added, speaking to reporters at the port of Tenerife.
"The final flight of the operation is departing from Australia... It is the most complex flight and is scheduled to arrive tomorrow afternoon," Ms Garcia said, adding that the final flight would pick up six people from Australia, New Zealand and other Asian countries.
Watch: Hantavirus-struck cruise ship operation is 'unprecedented,' says Spain's health minister
09:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneMarine maps show MV Hondius anchored off Tenerife
09:15 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Inside the military-style Tenerife operation to get passengers off the hantavirus cruise ship
09:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe plan to offload the remaining 147 passengers and crew on board MV Hondius travelling from Cape Verde to Tenerife has been planned down to the last minute and is also racing against the weather, reports Renée Boskaljon in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.
Inside the military-style Tenerife operation to evacuate the hantavirus cruise ship
Evacuation of passengers begins, Spanish health ministry says
08:41 , Nicole Wootton-CaneSpain has begun the evacuation process of passengers from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship anchored near Tenerife on Sunday, with health officials boarding the boat to conduct a final check and begin disembarking passengers, Spain's health ministry said.
Spanish nationals will be the first to disembark on small boats in groups of five and taken to shore where they will be transferred onto buses and taken to the local airport.
The passengers will board a flight back to Madrid on a Spanish military plane, government officials said, emphasising that they will have no contact with members of the public.
All passengers on the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius are considered high-risk contacts as a precautionary measure, Europe's public health agency said late on Saturday as part of its rapid scientific advice, adding that the risk to the general population remains low.
In pictures: Guards in PPE await passengers
08:30 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Spanish health minister says operation is 'unprecedented'
08:20 , Nicole Wootton-CaneHealth minister Monica Garcia is now giving an update to the press.
She says this is an “unprecedented operation” involving 23 countries.
Ms Garcia said all passengers remain asymptomatic and that the operation is continuing as planned.
Health officials board boat to carry out assessments
08:15 , Nicole Wootton-CaneHealth officials have boarded the MV Hondius to carry out epidemiological assessments, Spanish authorities have said.
It added health minister Monica Garcia will give a statement shortly alongside the minister of the interior and the minister of territorial policy.
Sanidad Exterior ya ha embarcado en el MV Hondius fondeado frente al puerto de Granadilla para realizar la evaluación epidemiológica.@Monica_Garcia_G comparecerá en breves minutos junto al ministro de Interior y el de Política Territorial.
— Ministerio de Sanidad (@sanidadgob) May 10, 2026
📲 https://t.co/HUrAV6ou4E pic.twitter.com/HVvVs47Wf3
Authorities meet to coordinate disembarkation
08:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneAuthorities are convening to oversee the disembarkation of passengers on board the MV Hondius.
The Spanish emergency services posted pictures of the ministers of interior and the director-general of the World Health Organisation meeting ahead of passengers leaving the ship this morning.
Los ministros Grande-Marlaska, @Monica_Garcia_G y @avtorresp, y el director general de @WHO, acuden al Puesto de Mando Avanzado para el asistir al comienzo del operativo de desembarco de los pasajeros del MV Hondius pic.twitter.com/Jtu8AwX1Ka
— Protección Civil (@proteccioncivil) May 10, 2026
Why have residents objected to the MV Hondius docking in Tenerife?
07:50 , Nicole Wootton-CaneSince news broke of a suspected hantavirus outbreak on board the MV Hondius, the luxury cruise ship has struggled to find somewhere to dock.
The ship was near Cape Verde when a number of individuals on board became ill. But the country’s authorities refused to let the ship dock there, forcing medical evacuations of three passengers to the Netherlands.
A row later broke out between the Spanish government, who granted permission for the ship to dock in the Canary Islands, and the regional leader of the islands, who residents had not been sufficiently reassured to allow the cruise ship to dock there.
On Friday, some Tenerife dock workers gathered outside the Canary Islands' parliament building to protest that the imminent arrival could pose a health risk for them.
The MV Hondius has now arrived in Tenerife but will not dock in the port. Instead, it will remain at anchor with passengers transported to land on ferries.
Specialist British Army team parachutes onto remote island after suspected hantavirus case
07:40 , Nicole Wootton-CaneA specialist Army team has parachuted on to the British overseas territory Tristan da Cunha with medical personnel and equipment, the Ministry of Defence has said.
The UK Health Security Agency confirmed on Friday that a British national disembarked from the MV Hondius on to the island with a suspected case of hantavirus.
Six paratroopers and two military clinicians from 16 Air Assault Brigade parachuted from an RAF A400M transport aircraft, while oxygen supplies and medical aid was dropped on to the remote island.
Live: Hantavirus-hit cruise ship arrives in Tenerife as countries send planes to evacuate passengers
07:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneNobody on board currently showing symptoms, authorities say
07:20 , Nicole Wootton-CaneNobody on board the MV Hondius is currently displaying symptoms of hantavirus, health authorities have said.
World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, along with Spain’s health and interior ministers, are supervising the evacuation of the ship.
Authorities have said the passengers and crew members who will disembark will have no contact with the local population, and will only be taken off the ship once evacuation flights are ready to fly them to their destinations.
In pictures: MV Hondius arrives in Tenerife
07:10 , Nicole Wootton-Cane
Disembarkment to begin soon as cruise ship anchors in Tenerife
06:33 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarThe hantavirus-struck cruise ship has anchored at the port of Granadilla, in Tenerife.
The disembarkment of the passengers will begin soon and continue throughout the morning.
Thirteen Spanish passengers and one crew member will be the first to be moved out of the ship.
Cruise ship has entered port of Granadilla and is expected to anchor in few minutes
06:23 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
UK’s initial Covid quarantine will be used to isolate Britons
06:10 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarBritons on a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak are set to be repatriated from Tenerife to isolate at the hospital used as the UK’s initial Covid quarantine, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.
The British passengers will be transferred to an isolation facility at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, Merseyside, after being repatriated to the UK on a chartered flight.
The cruise ship, carrying 22 British passengers and crew, is expected to reach Tenerife at any time now.
The UKHSA said on Saturday evening that the risk to the general public “remains very low”.
Officials from the UKHSA and Foreign Office will greet the MV Hondius when it docks in Tenerife, with Britons on board tested for hantavirus before they disembark.
Air ambulance arrives at Tenerife Sud airport
06:10 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
