Passengers onboard the MV Hondius cruise ship began disembarking on Sunday morning in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, where they were expected to continue on to charter flights back to their home countries.
The total number of confirmed and probable cases of hantavirus onboard the ship is eight, including two people confirmed to have died from the virus and one person who remains suspected to have died from the virus.
There are 17 U.S. citizens aboard the ship who will be returning to the United States. As of Saturday none of them had tested positive for the hantavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A CDC official said Saturday that the federal government doesn't plan to have the repatriated American cruise ship passengers quarantine upon arrival in the U.S.
The MV Hondius arrived early on Sunday off the coast of Tenerife, dropping anchor near the industrial port of Granadilla at about 5:30 a.m. local time.
The cruise ship MV Hondius arrives at the port of Granadilla de Abona after being affected by a hantavirus outbreak, in Tenerife, Spain, May 10, 2026.
Hannah Mckay/Reuters
Evacuations from the ship were expected to began as soon as possible.
The local government in the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago off the northwestern African coast, said it would like everyone off the boat and out of the Canary Islands by today.
The cruise ship MV Hondius arrives at the port of Granadilla de Abona after being affected by a hantavirus outbreak, in Tenerife, Spain, May 10, 2026.
Pedro Nunes/Reuters
They also said they want the boat to depart by end of day.
-ABC News’ Magie Rulli, Dragana Jovanovic and Aicha El Hammar Castano
May 09, 2026, 5:18 PM EDT
WHO director arrives at port, says Tenerife is ready to coordinate cruise ship arrival
WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited Saturday the port in Tenerife that is slated to receive the cruise ship and assured local residents the risk to the local population is low and that Tenerife is prepared.
The WHO director appeared at a short press briefing alongside Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia and other Spanish authorities.
An air ambulance arrives at Tenerife Sud airport, Canary Islands, Spain, where the cruise ship MV Hondius hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak is expected to arrive, May 9, 2026.
Pedro Nunes/Reuters
The WHO director said the risk to the local population is low because of the nature of the disease and because the Spanish government has made preparations. But he added concern is legitimate because of the trauma of COVID and decided to go to Tenerife to "be on the side of the people."
Following the disembarkation of passengers, it is expected there will be six repatriation flights to elsewhere in the European Union and four non-EU flights.
An air ambulance arrives at Tenerife Sud airport, Canary Islands, Spain, where the cruise ship MV Hondius hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak is expected to arrive, May 9, 2026.
Pedro Nunes/Reuters
Spanish passengers are set to be the first to disembark, according to the Spanish health minister, who said the passengers will be flown to Madrid to quarantine at the city’s Gomez-Ulla military hospital.
The minister said no one on board the ship has any symptoms.
-ABC News' Claire Bower
May 09, 2026, 12:21 PM EDT
No mandatory quarantine for US passengers: CDC official
A CDC official said Saturday the federal government doesn't plan to have the repatriated American cruise ship passengers quarantine upon arrival in Nebraska.
"We are not quarantining anybody,” a CDC official told reporters on a call Saturday.
Crew members of the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship, MV Hondius, wait their turns for a first interview with epidemiologists, during the voyage to Spain's port of Tenerife, May 6, 2026.
AP
As of Saturday none of the 17 Americans aboard the cruise have tested positive for the hantavirus, according to CDC officials.
When asked if passengers will be tested, a CDC official said, "it is not recommended to test people that do not have symptoms."
Federal officials walked through their plan for the passengers.
Each passenger is set to be evaluated upon arrival in the U.S., and they may opt to go home and watch for any potential symptoms for 42 days while staying in touch with their state or local health departments, the officials said.
Officials may recommend that passengers doing home-based monitoring limit their activities outside the house to those that don't involve extensive interactions with other people.
In this screen grab from a video, a room at the National Quarantine Unit is shown at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
University of Nebraska Medical Center
While the National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska will be available to them, there are no plans to mandate quarantine, according to officials. The officials said they hope the passengers will be in Nebraska for a limited amount of time.
-ABC News' Youri Benadjaoud
May 09, 2026, 1:40 AM EDT
Spanish authorities preparing port area in Tenerife to receive passengers
Spanish authorities are preparing the port area in Tenerife to receive passengers with repatriation flights scheduled for the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands, according to Reuters.
Workers set up tents at an expected reception point for passengers from the MV Hondius at the Granadilla Port on May 9, 2026, in Tenerife, part of the Canary Islands, Spain.
Chris McGrath/Getty Images
"To assist those European Union countries that do not have air transport resources available, the European Civil Protection Mechanism has made two aircraft available, and the necessary flights for the transfer will be scheduled throughout the course of today, Saturday," Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said at a press conference Saturday, according to Reuters.
"Disembarkation will be carried out in groups based on nationality, as the minister has stated. Only when the aircraft bound for a specific country is on the runway, ready to fly to that country, will nationals of that country be disembarked and taken there, using transport provided by the Spanish army," Grande-Marlaska said.
