British passengers from a cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak <\/a>are set to be repatriated to the UK<\/a>, where they will be transferred to the isolation facility at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral. <\/p>\n The Merseyside hospital gained prominence as the nation\u2019s initial quarantine site for British citizens returning from Wuhan, China, at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in January 2020.<\/p>\n Twenty-two British nationals, comprising both passengers and crew from the MV Hondius, are anticipated to arrive in Tenerife<\/a>, one of Spain\u2019s Canary Islands, this Sunday. <\/p>\n Upon docking, officials from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Foreign Office will meet the vessel.<\/p>\n Britons on board will undergo testing for hantavirus<\/a> before they are permitted to disembark. <\/p>\n Those who test negative and exhibit no symptoms will then be transported via a dedicated repatriation flight, staffed by medical professionals, back to the UK. The World Health Organisation<\/a> (WHO) confirmed on Saturday that there were no symptomatic passengers currently aboard the ship.<\/p>\n Emergency services in the north west of England said they expected the passengers to be kept in a \u201cmanaged setting\u201d for up to 72 hours.<\/p>\n Public health specialists will then assess whether they can isolate at home or at another suitable location based on their living arrangements.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n A joint statement from NHS England North West, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board, Merseyside Police, North West Ambulance Service, and Wirral Council said: \u201cOrganisations across Cheshire and Merseyside are working closely with colleagues from the UK Health Security Agency and other government bodies to support the repatriation of passengers from MV Hondius.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 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.<\/p>\n \u201cFollowing this, public health specialists will assess whether they can isolate at home or at another suitable location, based on their living arrangements.<\/p>\n \u201cThe risk to the general population remains very low.\u201d<\/p>\n The WHO said there had been six confirmed hantavirus<\/a> cases linked to the MV Hondius ship and that four patients were currently in hospital.<\/p>\n It added that a total of eight cases, including three deaths, had been reported \u2013 with one suspected case being reclassified after testing negative for hantavirus.<\/p>\n![\"British](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2274741206.jpg\")
British passengers on a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak will be transferred to the hospital used as the UK\u2019s quarantine site at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026-05-08T133949Z_754172565_RC2B2LAJSO40_RTRMADP_3_CRUISESHIP-HANTAVIRUS.jpg\")
The WHO said there had been six confirmed hantavirus cases linked to the MV Hondius ship and that four patients were currently in hospital (Reuters)<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2275297721.jpg\")
The UN agency has sought to reassure \u2018worried\u2019 Tenerife residents that they will not encounter passengers of the hantavirus-hit cruise ship set to dock on their island (Getty)<\/p>\n