Canary Islands rejects Hantavirus cruise ship as UK scrambles to get Brits home

Almost 150 people, 19 of which are British passengers and four British crew members, are currently trapped onboard the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius .

But efforts to get those on board to safety have been dealt a blow with the regional government on the autonomous Spanish islands rejecting a plan to allow the ship to stop in Tenerife.

The leader of the islands said this was due to “insufficient information” that public safety is guaranteed.

"This decision is not based ​on any technical criteria, nor ​is there sufficient information to reassure the public or guarantee their safety," Fernando Clavijo, leader of the Canary Islands, told ​radio station COPE.

Three people who were aboard the cruise ship have died, after it set sail from Argentina to Cape Verde over a month ago, and an investigation has been launched into the cause of the outbreak.

Foreign Office staff have been speaking to Brits onboard by phone and email, while ministers are talking to counterparts from other counties on dealing with the crisis.

Foreign Office teams have been working with local authorities in Cape Verde and with the Dutch Government on safe medivacs for sick passengers at the earliest possible opportunity, ahead of the ship’s proposed move.

This emergency work includes detailed ongoing planning of routes for safe medical evacuation if required, as well as safe repatriation of all British nationals on board at the earliest opportunity.

The UK Health Security Agency is leading the Government’s response.

Official and ministerial level meetings have taken place to oversee the response, chaired by the Health Department and attended by the Chief Medical Officer.

Two crew members, including the ship’s reportedly British doctor, require urgent medical treatment and were set to be evacuated on a hospital aircraft to the Canary Islands on Tuesday, according to reports.

A third person linked to a German national who died was also due to be evacuated.

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But is is now unclear what will happen, as the regional government in the Canary Islands is opposed to allowing the ship to dock.

Clavijo has requested an urgent meeting with Spain’s Prime ⁠Minister Pedro Sanchez to discuss the issue.

Cruise Operator Oceanwide Expeditions previously said its plan was to sail to “Gran Canaria or Tenerife”, as Cape Verde “cannot carry out this operation”.

"The Canary Islands are the closest location with the necessary capabilities.

Spain has a moral and legal obligation to assist these people, among whom are several Spanish citizens," the statement added.

Hantavirus is a group of viruses carried by rodents such as mice and rats, transmitted through their droppings or urine, but the WHO said in this case it could have spread among “really close contacts” aboard the ship.

It stressed the risk to the general public was low.