Spain will host the vessel MV Hondius in the Canary Islands in compliance with International Law and the humanitarian spirit.
The World Health Organization (WHO), in coordination with the European Union, has just requested the Government of Spain to host the vessel MV Hondius in the Canary Islands in compliance with International Law and the humanitarian spirit.
At this moment, said vessel is in Cape Verde, where it docked after detecting an outbreak of hantavirus infection.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is conducting a thorough examination of the ship to determine which individuals must be urgently evacuated in Cape Verde itself. The rest will continue their course to the Canary Islands, where they expect to arrive within 3 or 4 days. The specific port has not yet been defined. Once there, crew and passengers will be duly examined, attended to, and transferred to their respective countries. The process will be articulated through a common protocol for managing cases and contacts developed by the WHO and the ECDC, and will have all the necessary safety guarantees. Both medical attention and transfers will be carried out in special spaces and transport enabled ad hoc for this situation, avoiding all contact with the local population and ensuring the safety of healthcare personnel at all times.
The Government will release the details of this protocol as soon as they are defined by the WHO and the ECDC. Furthermore, it will provide timely information on its implementation.
The World Health Organization has explained that 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 also several Spanish citizens.
Under this same logic, and as part of the operation, the Government has also accepted a formal request from the Government of the Netherlands to host the doctor from the MV Hondius, who is in serious condition, and who will be transported to the Canary Islands on a hospital plane this Tuesday.