European passengers from the hantavirus-hit ship are back in their home countries. What happens now?

The cruise ship, placed under emergency protocols following an outbreak of hantavirus - a rare and potentially fatal viral disease - reached the Canary Islands in Spain on Sunday with 147 people on board, passengers and crew, from 23 different nationalities, including 70 Europeans. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT In a coordinated operation between the Spanish government, the World Health Organization, and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, all passengers were tested for symptoms on the cruise ship, and transport was organised to return them to their home countries. There are still 54 people on the ship; 32 will remain on board and travel by vessel, while the other 22 will be transferred by aircraft. Both groups are bound for the Netherlands, including six people who will later fly on to Australia. Where are these passengers now? Spain The 14 Spanish citizens are currently in the Military Hospital Gómez Ulla in Madrid, one of the country’s hospitals equipped with a high-level isolation unit, prepared to host such cases. Here, the Spanish Health Ministry has announced that the passengers are expected to observe a 42-day quarantine with regular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to assess potential new cases. France Five people left Spain for France on Sunday. One of the passengers started to show symptoms during the transfer and has now been confirmed as the latest hantavirus case, the French Health Ministry confirmed. In a decree published on Monday, France announced that passengers from the cruise ship will be placed in quarantine in a healthcare facility for the time necessary to complete a medical and epidemiological assessment. After the assessment, they will be placed in isolation for a total duration of 42 days. “Anyone who has been in contact with the passengers or with any person who has been infected may be subject to quarantine or isolation measures where it appears that they present a serious risk of infection,” the French authorities confirmed. The Netherlands An aeroplane with 26 passengers arrived in the Netherlands on Sunday, eight of them were Dutch nationals. After landing in Eindhoven, they were taken home, where they will remain in self-isolation for 42 days, according to the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. Those who do not reside in the Netherlands will be accommodated in a quarantine facility. During the quarantine period, passengers are allowed to take short walks outside, keeping at least 1.5 meters distance from others, and wearing a face mask. Germany Germany had eight people on board, including one of the deceased passengers. Four German passengers have been transferred to Frankfurt’s hospital, where they will be examined before being transferred to their respective federal states for quarantine, a hospital spokesperson told German media. Each passenger will be overseen by local health authorities at each person's place of residence, Germany's federal public health institute, Robert Koch Institut (RKI), said. Belgium Belgium received two passengers from the cruise ship on Sunday. They were both taken to Antwerp University Hospital (UZA) for a medical assessment. If they don’t show any symptoms, they will be taken home, where they will be monitored through home follow-up by the Flemish health authorities, the Belgian public health department announced. Greece Greece had only one national on the ship. The person is asymptomatic and is in precautionary quarantine at the Attikon General University Hospital of Athens, where he will quarantine for 45 days, the hospital said on Monday. Ireland Two passengers were transferred to Ireland from Spain. They arrived in Dublin on Sunday and have since been in isolation in a medical facility where they will be tested and monitored, the Irish health authorities told national media on Monday. They are both “in good spirits and demonstrating no signs of symptoms”. United Kingdom The United Kingdom’s Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Monday that 20 British nationals, along with one German national, who is a UK resident, and one Japanese passenger from the MV Hondius, are being monitored at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, in northwest England. After a 72-hour testing period, passengers will be asked to isolate for up to 45 days upon their return, with regular testing and care provided by national health authorities.