By Tom Gantert

A French citizen on the MV Hondius cruise ship came down with hantavirus symptoms while flying back to France, according to French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu.

Lecornu on Sunday posted on X that there were five French citizens on board the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak, and all five were placed in strict isolation until further notice. He said they will undergo tests and a full health assessment.

The prime minister said he would issue a decree Sunday evening that would put in place appropriate isolation measures for contact cases and protective measures for the general population.

On Sunday, some passengers were taken to the airport in military buses where they were to be flown back to their countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that as of May 2, 147 passengers and crew were on board, and 34 passengers and crew had previously disembarked.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said all passengers and crew were high-risk contacts.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, put out a message on Saturday specifically for the people of Tenerife, where the cruise ship was anchored.

“I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word ‘outbreak’ and watch a ship sail toward your shores, memories surface that none of us have fully put to rest,” Ghebreyesus said in a statement. “The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not dismiss it for a single moment. But I need you to hear me clearly: this is not another COVID. The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this unequivocally, and I will say it again to you now.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made a statement May 8 that the United States was monitoring the situation.

“At this time, the risk to the American public remains extremely low,” the CDC stated.

The U.S. government said it is prioritizing the safe return of American passengers from the MV Hondius outbreak. The U.S. passengers are expected to be evacuated on a government medical flight to Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, and then transported to the National Quarantine Center at the University of Nebraska for monitoring.

The CDC said it has deployed epidemiologists and medical teams to the Canary Islands, where the ship will dock, to assess each passenger’s exposure risk and determine appropriate monitoring. Another CDC team will be stationed at the airbase to conduct further public health evaluations and support quarantine and safety measures for the returning passengers once they arrive.