Oceanwide to Decide by Week’s End on MV Hondius May 29 Cruise After 3 Deaths

7 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 13

Oceanwide Expeditions said it expects by the end of this week to know whether the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius can keep its upcoming sailing schedule, including a cruise due to start May 29 from Iceland.
Three passengers died in the outbreak, which has produced nine confirmed and two suspected hantavirus cases; more than 120 passengers and some crew were evacuated in the Canary Islands and remain isolated in several countries.
May 17 or 18 is when the ship is expected in Rotterdam, where it will undergo cleaning and disinfection under protocols still being finalized with Dutch health authorities; Oceanwide said the vessel cannot sail without official authorization.
Experts said future passengers are likely at low risk after proper disinfection, noting the Andes virus found aboard is not thought to be behaving unusually and that hantavirus is generally less transmissible on cruise ships than norovirus or measles.

Can a ship known for a fatal virus outbreak ever truly guarantee the safety of its future passengers?

With three dead and no rodents found, where did the cruise ship hantavirus outbreak actually begin?

If this hantavirus is so hard to spread, why are passengers being held in biocontainment units worldwide?