Clavijo accuses the Government of "hiding" that there were infections on the cruise ship MV Hondius

The president of the Government of Canarias, Fernando Clavijo, has accused the Spanish Executive of having hidden that there were hantavirus infections on board the cruise ship MV Hondius, despite knowing it "from minute 1". Meanwhile, representatives of the Spanish Government have defended that the international protocols established by the World Health Organization and the recommendations of epidemiologists have been followed.

This tourist ship operated by Oceanwide Expeditions sailed from the archipelago on Monday afternoon after less than two days anchored off its coasts and after the disembarkation of more than 120 passengers and crew members on medicalized flights with isolation systems.

Clavijo, who this Tuesday answers several questions in the plenary session of the regional Parliament on the hantavirus crisis, has pointed out that his Government had asked for PCR tests to be carried out on the ship before its arrival in the Canary Islands and now discovers "why they didn't want to do it, because they knew there were infected people".

"The dignity of the Canary Islands people, the Government of the Canary Islands, and its institutions has been offended by hiding information they knew from minute 1," stated the president. 

Spanish cruise passenger tests positive for hantavirus

On the night of this past Monday, the results of the PCR tests performed on fourteen Spanish citizens who were evacuated from the tourist cruise ship where the hantavirus outbreak was detected were announced. One of these passengers has tested "provisionally positive" in the detection test carried out on Sunday at the Gómez Ulla Hospital in Madrid, where they are all undergoing quarantine.

According to the Minister of Health, "the person remains isolated, without symptoms and in good general condition, under continuous clinical monitoring and in accordance with established safety and epidemiological control protocols."  Furthermore, she has indicated that the other 13 passengers have provisionally tested negative.