{"id":11755,"date":"2026-05-15T04:14:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T04:14:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/11755\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T04:14:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T04:14:17","slug":"flight-with-australian-and-new-zealand-passengers-from-hantavirus-cruise-ship-arrives-in-perth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/11755\/","title":{"rendered":"Flight with Australian and New Zealand passengers from hantavirus cruise ship arrives in Perth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Six people who were on board a cruise ship at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak have landed in Australia.<\/p>\n

The four Australian citizens, one permanent resident and one New Zealander arrived on a repatriation flight that left the Netherlands late Thursday, where the passengers had been waiting after disembarking the MV Hondius.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/p>\n

The plane touched down around 11am WST. (ABC News: Andrew O’Connor\u00a0)<\/p>\n

The plane landed at RAAF Base Pearce, about 40 kilometres north-east of Perth, where the six boarded a minibus that took them to the nearby Bullsbrook Centre for National Resilience under police escort.<\/p>\n

Screening and quarantine<\/p>\n

The passengers, wearing full-body protective gear, waved at reporters from the minibus.<\/p>\n

The six had tested negative for hantavirus before the flight and were asymptomatic, but will undergo further health screening.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

An ambulance is on stand-by for the arriving passengers\u00a0 (ABC News: Andrew O’Connor\u00a0)<\/p>\n

The ABC understands the passengers were tested and processed by the Australian Border Force before their transfer to the quarantine centre.<\/p>\n

They will quarantine there for three weeks.<\/p>\n

The flight crew is expected to also quarantine at the facility voluntarily for two weeks.<\/p>\n

Department of Agriculture and Fisheries staff will decontaminate the plane used for the repatriation flight.<\/p>\n

Facility for disease control<\/a><\/p>\n

Nestled away in Perth’s outer fringes this 500-bed facility was built during the COVID-19 pandemic as a quarantine centre, but sat idle for years. Now, a different deadly virus will see it used for its intended purpose.<\/p>\n

What’s next for the passengers?<\/p>\n

Health Minister Mark Butler said yesterday that further arrangements were being organised beyond the three weeks, as the incubation period for hantavirus was about 42 days.<\/p>\n

“We’re not going to let anything happen that doesn’t align with World Health Organization (WHO) advice about the incubation period for this virus,” Mr Butler said.<\/p>\n

The five Australians are from New South Wales and Queensland. Mr Butler said both state governments would be engaged to manage the latter half of the incubation period.<\/p>\n

Loading…<\/p>\n

The WHO’s latest update on the hantavirus outbreak, linked to the cruise ship, said 11 cases and three deaths had been reported.<\/p>\n

Eight of the cases had been laboratory-confirmed, while two were deemed “probable”, and one was inconclusive.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The cruise ship MV Hondius, affected by a hantavirus outbreak, at the port of Granadilla de Abona, in Tenerife. (Reuters: Hannah McKay)<\/p>\n

The two latest confirmed cases were reported from France and Spain. Both people were passengers of the MV Hondius.<\/p>\n

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