Hantavirus live updates: Evacuations begin after MV Hondius arrives in Canary Islands

Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Ore., sent a letter Thursday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya asking them to create a repatriation plan for the 17 citizens aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius.

According to Bynum, a constituent of hers from Bend, Oregon, is among the Americans aboard the ship. 

"On Thursday, May 7, my office made contact with a constituent from the district I represent who is currently aboard the ship. The information we received about the conditions facing passengers and crew is deeply alarming. These Americans are trapped in a dangerous and deteriorating public health situation, and they deserve more than passive monitoring or delayed coordination,” Bynum wrote.

The congresswoman urged lawmakers to assess the situation and develop a repatriation plan by the end of the day Thursday.

-ABC News' Beatrice Peterson

Virginia's Department of Health said Thursday that a traveler from their state who was on the MV Hondius returned home in "good health" and is being monitored by public health authorities.

"Our understanding is that fewer than 30 U.S. Citizens were on board the ship. A small number (<5) of other potentially exposed Virginians might be identified in the days ahead," the department said.

"The Virginia Department of Health is monitoring this situation closely and has been in active communication with our federal partners at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)," the statement said, adding "generally speaking, we believe the risk to the general public to be low.

Virginia's statement brings the total number of U.S. residents currently under monitoring for hantavirus symptoms to at least seven people across five states, including Arizona, California, Georgia, Texas and Virginia. 

-ABC News' Chris Barry and Youri Benadjaoud

Virigina Barcones, Spain's head of Emergencies and Civil Protection, provided more details Thursday about its plans for the MV Hondius when it arrives at the Canary Islands Sunday.

"They will arrive at a completely isolated, cordoned-off area. They will board vehicles that are isolated and under guard, and will proceed to a section of the airport that will be completely cordoned off. They will board the aircraft and depart. I am saying this so that the people of the Canary Islands, the men and women living there, can rest assured that there will be absolutely no possibility of contact at any time," she said in a statement.

Barcones added that no one will be allowed to leave the boat unless they are going directly to the airport to return to their home countries.

"The United States has showed its willingness to send a plane to collect its citizens directly. Negotiations with the United Kingdom are also at an advanced stage. During meetings held throughout the day, the U.K. has also expressed its willingness to send a dedicated flight to repatriate its nationals," she said.

-ABC News' William Gretsky

Two patients infected with the hantavirus are currently hospitalized in hospitals in the Netherlands in a special units with isolation protocols, Dutch health officials said Thursday.

One patient is at Radboud University Medical Center, in the city of Nijmegen, while the other is at Leiden University Medical Center in Leiden, officials said.

Health officials said the patients are not putting any other visitor or patient at risk.

Three additional people in the Netherlands have been tested for the virus, including a 69-year-old flight attendant. All three were in direct contact with the victim who died in South Africa, health officials said.

The flight attendant is currently admitted to a hospital in Amsterdam awaiting her test results, according to officials.

-ABC News' Aicha Elhammar