Hantaviruses are normally carried by rodents that can cause severe symptoms in humans
Dockers hold banners reading ‘Workers of Tenerife port – TPT (Trabajadores del Puerto de Tenerife) – Respect Tenerife – we are not second-class’(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Angry protestors said ‘we are not a dumping ground’ ahead of the arrival of a hantavirus affected cruise ship. The protests are taking place in Tenerife where the ship is expected to dock this weekend, as Spanish authorities on Friday (May 8) were preparing to receive more than 140 passengers and crew members on board the affected cruise ship.
The ship was heading for the Canary Islands, where health officials have said they will perform careful evacuations according to The Mirror. The vessel is expected to reach the Spanish island of Tenerife, off the coast of West Africa, on Saturday or Sunday.
None of the remaining passengers or crew on the ship are currently symptomatic, the Netherlands-based Oceanwide Expeditions cruise ship company said Thursday. But concerned residents in the Canary Islands fear the virus could spread among locals and they have questioned from the start why the Spanish government agreed for the ship to stop in Tenerife.
While politicians in Madrid have said there is a “moral and legal obligation” to help those on board the ship, local people have begun protesting with placards saying “unsafe port” or “for work no, for the risk yes” in a message to politicians.
Some people could be heard saying: “We want work, not illness.”
The president of the Tenerife Port Authority, Pedro Suárez, explained this Friday that the passengers of the MV Hondius will be transferred in shifts, first in small boats and then by road directly “to the bottom of a plane’s steps” where they will then be flown to their respective countries.
He has attempted to “calm tempers” but it has had little impact with the large number of protesters saying “safety is not optional”. And a union of dock workers – the Platform for the Port of Tenerife, has threatened to “block” the ship’s entry to the Canary Islands “if we are not given safety guarantees”, said its spokesperson Elena Ruiz.
One person told local media: “I am from the Canary Islands and they treat us like rubbish.” Another person protesting said: “It’s the same story as with Covid. They’re not fooling us. We’re fed up with the Canary Islands being Pedro Sánchez’s dumping ground.”
The UK Health Security Agency said none of the British citizens on board the ship, which is now travelling to Tenerife, is currently reporting symptoms but they are being closely monitored.
A statement said the ship is expected to dock in Tenerife on Sunday, according to the latest updates from the Spanish health ministry. The UKHSA added: “UK Government staff will be on the ground ready to support the British nationals disembarking.
“British passengers and ship crew not displaying any symptoms of hantavirus will be escorted by UK Government staff to an airport and given free passage back to the UK.”
It said Foreign Office officials and UKHSA teams will continue to support passengers, with a dedicated repatriation flight is being organised for passengers and crew. The statement added: “UKHSA is working with partners to ensure the flight operates under strict infection control measures.
“Public health and infectious disease specialists from UKHSA and the NHS will be on board to monitor British nationals whilst on the flight, to ensure that preventative measures are in place and to provide any care in the unlikely event that any passengers become unwell on the flight.”
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