The complex operation to repatriate passengers and crew of the hantavirus-hit cruise ship, the MV Hondius, is almost complete.<\/p>\n
Up to 150 people have started flying home<\/a> aboard military and government planes from Spain\u2019s Canary Islands, and the World Health Organization has recommended, but not mandated, a 42-day quarantine once they have landed.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what we know about how different countries are managing quarantine.<\/p>\n How did cruise passengers and crew leave the hantavirus-stricken ship?<\/p>\n Passengers wore blue medical suits and breathing masks as they disembarked MV Hondius on to smaller boats, according to observers. Those boats docked at a small industrial port in Tenerife. Evacuees then boarded Spanish army buses and travelled to an airport. A protective board separated drivers from passengers.<\/p>\n Evacuees then changed into new protective equipment and pictures showed them on the tarmac being sprayed down by medical officers before boarding repatriation charter flights.<\/p>\n Will hantavirus cruise ship passengers quarantine when the flights land?<\/p>\n The WHO recommends a 42-day quarantine and \u201cactive follow-up\u201d, including daily checks for symptoms such as fever. The 42-day quarantine can be carried out at a staffed facility or in isolation at home.<\/p>\n American citizens arrive onshore after being evacuated from the MV Hondius. Photograph: Chris McGrath\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Some health experts are concerned people may not strictly isolate for six weeks. The WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says his organisation does not \u2018force\u2019 its guidance.<\/p>\n Will countries manage hantavirus quarantine and isolation differently?<\/p>\n It\u2019s still unclear. In the UK, the NHS says people will undergo medical tests at Arrowe Park hospital, near Liverpool. The group will initially stay for 72 hours, and arrangements for further isolation assessed.<\/p>\n