Quarantining in B.C.
The Canadian Press – May 10, 2026 / 8:48 pm | Story: 613595
Photo: The Canadian Press
Passengers board a plane bound for Canada, after disembarking from the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius at the airport in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, Sunday, May 10, 2026
UPDATE 8:48 p.m.
Four Canadians who disembarked the cruise ship at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak landed Sunday in B.C., where they will continue their quarantine.
Online plane tracking platform FlightAware says the aircraft carrying the Canadians arrived at the airport in Victoria from Saguenay-Bagotville Airport in Quebec.
They are to isolate in B.C. because they have connections with the province, said B.C’s health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
“This has undoubtedly been a stressful and difficult experience for the Canadians and everybody aboard the MV Hondius,” Henry said at a Sunday news conference.
“They are undoubtably looking forward to being back home in Canada, where they can get the care and monitoring they need.”
The Canadians were among 130 passengers on the MV Hondius, who exited the vessel at a port in Tenerife, an island in Spain’s Canary Islands early Sunday.
They were assessed as asymptomatic before they took off in a plane chartered by the Public Health Agency of Canada and Global Affairs Canada, with support from the Canadian Armed Forces. A PHAC officer ensured public health measures, including masking and physical distancing, were being followed on the flight.
They have been following strict isolation protocols on the MV Hondius since early May, when the World Health Organization declared the outbreak on the ship.
Henry said when they arrive in British Columbia, they will be taken to their lodgings.
The media were unable to gain access to the Canadian Armed Forces airbase during the stopover in Quebec.
PHAC and GAC said in a joint statement Sunday that the passengers are expected to quarantine under supervision for just over two weeks in B.C. That will bring their total quarantine time to 21 days since May 6, the last day a confirmed case of hantavirus was on the ship.
Health officials will assess the Canadians after that, the statement said, to determine whether their quarantine period needs to be extended to a maximum of 42 days in total since the last possible exposure on board the ship.
Henry reassured people there is no risk of hantavirus spread after their arrival.
“They won’t be out in the community. They won’t be having contact with people. Our public health teams will be in contact with them every day,” she said.
“We’ll make sure that they are safely able to … have their mental and physical needs taken care of during that period of time.”
Henry said the Canadians also did not show any symptoms while they were in quarantine on the ship.
“So that’s reassuring.”
Henry said that she understands people in the province may be concerned about the spread after their arrival, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I absolutely get that feeling,” she said.
“When I first heard about this … it made my stomach clench,” she said about the outbreak on the ship.
She said, however, the hantavirus does not spread in the same way as COVID-19 and is not considered a disease with pandemic potential.
Hantavirus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings and isn’t easily transmitted between people.
Three people have died since the outbreak on the ship began, and five passengers tested positive for hantavirus, which can cause life-threatening illness.
Several other Canadians have been told to isolate after coming into contact with infected passengers.
UPDATE: 12:05 p.m.
Four Canadians who were stuck on the cruise ship at the centre of a hantavirus outbreak are en route to Quebec, where they’re expected to land before moving on to British Columbia for quarantine.
The Public Health Agency of Canada and Global Affairs Canada chartered the flight for the Canadians and are co-ordinating their return to Canada, with support from the armed forces.
A PHAC officer is on board the flight overseeing public health measures, including masking and physical distancing.
Federal officials say the travellers were assessed as asymptomatic before they took off from Tenerife, Spain.
They had also been following strict isolation protocols on the MV Hondius since early May.
The passengers are expected to quarantine under supervision for just over two weeks after they arrive in B.C.
That will bring their total quarantine time to 21 days since May 6, the last day a confirmed case of hantavirus was on the ship.
Three people have died since the outbreak began, and five passengers who left the ship are infected with hantavirus, which can cause life-threatening illness.
Hantavirus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings and isn’t easily transmitted between people. But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.
Health authorities in B.C. will monitor the Canadians throughout their isolation and reassess their status at the end of the period, with the possibility of extending quarantine up to 42 days depending on risk assessment and World Health Organization guidance.
During isolation, the government says the travellers will have access to medical care, testing if symptoms develop, and mental health and psychosocial support. Public health officials will continue to follow up in coordination with provincial authorities.
Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, says in a written statement that she understands people in the province may be concerned, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, but notes that the virus is very different from respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19.
“It does not spread in the same way and is not considered a disease with pandemic potential,” Henry says.
She says health officials are taking every measure to minimize or eliminate the risk to public.
“At no point during their arrival or isolation period will they be in contact with the public,” Henry says. “They will be monitored daily by local public health teams to ensure that they remain well and are safely isolating.”
Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship’s owner, says the four Canadians were among the roughly 130 other asymptomatic passengers on board the MV Hondius when it reached port this morning.
Several other Canadians have been told to isolate after coming into contact with infected passengers.
A couple from the Grey Bruce region of Ontario disembarked from the ship in late April before the outbreak was declared and have showed no symptoms.
Four other Canadians — from Quebec, Alberta, and Ontario — were not on the ship but may have come into contact with someone infected with hantavirus while flying, the federal government said.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sought to reassure the public on Sunday, repeating that the risk for the general public from the outbreak is low.
Even so, those disembarking and personnel working at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife wore protective gear during the evacuation process, including face masks, hazmat suits, and respirators. Video obtained by The Associated Press showed passengers on the tarmac wearing similar suits and being sprayed down with disinfectant.
ORIGINAL: 8:30 a.m.
Passengers who were stuck on a cruise ship at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak have disembarked and are on a plane en route to Canada.
The passengers wore protective gear as they climbed the stairs onto the plane, which is bound for the Saguenay-Bagotville Airport roughly two hours outside of Quebec City.
Oceanwide Expeditions, the ship’s owner, says there were four Canadians among the roughly 130 other asymptomatic passengers on board the MV Hondius when it reached port this morning.
Oceanwide Expeditions says representatives from a number of groups, including the World Health Organization, screened passengers at the port.
There were eight cases, including three deaths, of hantavirus on the cruise ship.
The virus originates in rodents, and the version on the cruise ship — the Andes virus — is the only one known to spread from human to human, though it’s not very contagious.
Several Canadians have been told to isolate after coming into contact with infected passengers.
A couple from the Grey Bruce region of Ontario disembarked from the ship in late April before the outbreak was declared and have showed no symptoms.
Four other Canadians — from Quebec, Alberta and Ontario — were not on the ship but may have come into contact with someone infected with hantavirus while flying, the federal government said.
