Spanish Health Minister Mónica García said the disembarkation was “proceeding normally” and that all passengers on board the MV Hondius were still asymptomatic.
The passengers are being brought ashore by nationality via small boats, according to tour operator Oceanwide Expeditions. Their luggage will remain aboard the ship, which will continue on to the Port of Rotterdam with the remaining crew. It is expected to take five days for the ship to reach the Netherlands.
The MV Hondius anchored early Sunday at the Port of Granadilla in the Canary Islands, where Spanish authorities set up large reception tents and restricted access to the waterfront.
France, Germany, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands sent planes to repatriate their citizens, while the European Union sent two additional planes for the remaining EU nationals, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told a press conference on Saturday in Madrid. The United States and Britain are coordinating planes for non-EU citizens from countries that were unable to send transport.
All of the more than 100 passengers are being tested for the hantavirus, which is a rare disease typically caused by exposure to infected rats.
The WHO reported on Friday that there are a total of six confirmed cases of the “Andes” hantavirus variant linked to the cruise ship and two probable cases. The Andes is the only variant known to spread among humans, and the incubation period lasts up to nine weeks.