Eight countries have arranged and scheduled their flights to repatriate the passengers and crew of the MV Hondius cruise ship, toaffected by a hantavirus outbreakand whose evacuation could be recorded this Sunday, May 10 off the coast of the Spanish island of Tenerife, in the Atlantic, in a phased manner and by nationality. Among the crew there is a Guatemalan.
The Spanish Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, explained this Saturday, May 9, at a press conference together with the Minister of Health, Mónica García, that the device will be prepared so that the disembarkation process of the passengers and the crew, as well as their subsequent repatriation to their countries of origin, is carried out as quickly as possible and in conditions of maximum security.
“The ship will remain for the essential and necessary time for the passenger to leave and be repatriated. We will try to make it as soon as possible,” he said.
In that sense, Free press consulted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minex), which shared some details about the Guatemalan situation. He added that, according to the monitoring carried out by the Guatemalan Embassy in Spain, it has been confirmed that the Guatemalan does not present symptoms of hantavirus infection.
Regarding repatriation, the Minex indicated that for now it does not have that data, although it is important to remember that it also depends on the recommendations of the World Health Organization.
He indicated that the consular missions are pending the possible repatriation of the Guatemalan, but have not yet been notified.
He added that the ship is currently heading to the port of Granadilla de Abona, in Tenerife, where it is expected to dock. Disembarkation will be through controlled sanitary circuits, with transfers to the airport for the return of passengers and crew to their respective countries of origin, in accordance with the evaluation and quarantine that each case warrants.
The Embassy of Guatemala in Spain works in coordination with the Honorary Consulate of Guatemala in Tenerife to follow up on the situation of the crew member and provide them with the necessary consular assistance.
In the case of countries that do not belong to the European Union, repatriation flights to the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada are confirmed and available.
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