Last Americans quarantined after deadly hantavirus cruise ship outbreak released from Nebraska facility

The final eight Americans quarantined at the University of Nebraska Medical Center have been released after a 42-day isolation following a deadly hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship. While HHS officials defend the containment effort, passenger Angela Perryman and legal experts criticize the mandatory quarantine ordered by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as an unconstitutional political stunt. None of the quarantined Americans contracted the rare Andes virus, which killed three people during the voyage.

Hantavirus cruise ship quarantine release

• ▪A total of 18 Americans were originally transferred to the National Quarantine Unit in Omaha, Nebraska, with 10 allowed to leave early under home-state monitoring agreements.
• ▪The final eight Americans quarantined at the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center were released on June 21, 2026, after completing a 42-day isolation period.
• ▪The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the end of the required isolation for the final group of evacuated cruise ship passengers.

MV Hondius outbreak casualties

• ▪Health officials believe a Dutch couple who died in the outbreak were the first exposed to the hantavirus while visiting South America.
• ▪Thirteen cases of the Andes strain of hantavirus were identified on the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius cruise ship, resulting in three deaths.
• ▪More than 120 people were evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship in Spain's Canary Islands in early May 2026.

Forced quarantine controversy

• ▪U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the mandatory quarantine, overruling CDC advice that exposed passengers self-quarantine at home.
• ▪Seven of the final eight Americans at the Nebraska facility chose to remain there voluntarily, while Angela Perryman was held under a mandatory federal quarantine order.
• ▪Passenger Angela Perryman was forced to remain in quarantine after Florida officials refused a federal demand to provide round-the-clock surveillance on her at home.

Omaha community hospitality

• ▪Travel blogger Jake Rosmarin posted videos thanking the Omaha community and quarantine staff for showing kindness and making the isolation comfortable.
• ▪Omaha restaurants and food trucks delivered meals to the quarantined passengers almost daily, and nurses made occasional Starbucks runs for them.

Hantavirus transmission monitoring protocols

• ▪None of the 18 Americans quarantined at the Nebraska facility developed symptoms or contracted the hantavirus.
• ▪The 42-day quarantine period was established because symptoms of the Andes strain of hantavirus can take up to 42 days to appear.
• ▪The Andes virus is the only known strain of hantavirus capable of person-to-person transmission, though hantaviruses typically spread via inhaled rodent droppings.

Perspective of Angela Perryman

• ▪Passenger Angela Perryman was forced to remain in quarantine after Florida officials refused a federal demand to provide round-the-clock surveillance on her at home.
• ▪Seven of the final eight Americans at the Nebraska facility chose to remain there voluntarily, while Angela Perryman was held under a mandatory federal quarantine order.

Perspective of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

• ▪The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the end of the required isolation for the final group of evacuated cruise ship passengers.
• ▪U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the mandatory quarantine, overruling CDC advice that exposed passengers self-quarantine at home.

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