Hantavirus – Brits to quarantine at Arrowe Park Hospital site

Around 24 passengers from the ship will be screened for symptoms of Hantavirus before being taken to an accommodation block at the Wirral hospital on Sunday (May 10). Nobody showing symptoms will be transferred to the site.

People began falling ill aboard the Dutch vessel MV Hondius in early April after it set sail on the Atlantic from southern Argentina – with the first fatality occurring on April 11.

The MV Hondius cruise ship departs the port in Praia, Cape Verde, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Image: Misper Apawu)

Three people have died so far, with six confirmed cases of the disease (as of May 8) including up to three Britons.

Arrowe Park staff were informed of the decision to house passengers on the hospital site in an email from Janelle Holmes, CEO of Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust, seen by our sister paper The Globe.

The message confirmed British patients not displaying symptoms would be escorted to the hospital to be in a safe place for their isolation period.

The move has echoes of the early days of the Covid outbreak, when 83 Brits were taken by coach from RAF Brize Norton to Wirral to begin a 14-day quarantine period on January 31, 2020.

Holmes said the hospital trust had responded “quickly and positively” to repatriating patients from Wuhan and the Diamond Princess cruise ship before the 2020 pandemic outbreak.

The message from Holmes said: “You will be aware that there are a number of British nationals who are expected to fly from Tenerife to the UK following the cases of hantavirus on the MV Hondius cruise ship recently confirmed by the World Health Organization.

A Spanish Civil Guard officer inspects the area where passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship are expected to arrive at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (Image: Manu Fernandez)

“The plan is for the British passengers and ship crew not displaying any symptoms of hantavirus to be escorted by UK government staff and given free passage back to the UK and as a precaution they will remain in isolation.

“We have been asked to house these residents (around 24) as our guests in the accommodation block on the Arrowe Park hospital site to provide them with a safe place for their isolation period.

“We have been asked by NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to house the guests, recognising how quickly and positively we responded to and supported the repatriation of British nationals from Wuhan and the Diamond Princess prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

(Image: Arrowe Park Hospital)

“Nobody showing any symptoms will be transferred here. If anyone becomes unwell after arrival, they will be transferred quickly to another facility.

“We do not anticipate there will be any impact on the delivery of Trust services or staff delivering services. Our role is to provide a safe place for the residents to isolate.”

“The risk to the general population remains very low and the public can be reassured that the established infection control measures will be put in place at every step of the journey to ensure the safe repatriation of British passengers on board.”

NHS England North West, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB, Merseyside Police, North West Ambulance Service, and Wirral Council issued a joint statement regarding the repatriation of the British passengers.

The joint statement said: “Organisations 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.

“In 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.

“Following this, public health specialists will assess whether they can isolate at home or at another suitable location, based on their living arrangements.

“The risk to the general population remains very low.

“Our partner organisations are working together to ensure that all returning passengers are welcomed, comfortable and well supported throughout their stay.

“We would like to thank our staff and partners across the NHS, emergency services and local government for their professionalism and dedication in coordinating this response, and we will continue to work closely with the UK Health Security Agency and other partners throughout.”

UK Health Security Agency officials say two UK nationals associated with the ship have tested positive for hantavirus, and a British man in his late 60s remains in intensive care in South Africa but is reported to be improving.

Another British guide from the vessel is being treated in the Netherlands and is described as stable.

Officials stress the overall risk to the general public in the UK is very low, as hantavirus is usually spread via contact with infected rodent droppings, urine or saliva rather than between people.

Early symptoms resemble flu, including fever, headache and muscle aches, but in severe cases the virus can cause serious lung or kidney problems and can be fatal.