Countries Issue Self-Isolation Orders for Citizens Returning from Hantavirus Cruise Ship

May 12, 2026

The UK, US, and EU require citizens returning from the MV Hondius cruise ship to self-isolate for approximately six weeks following a hantavirus outbreak. Hantavirus was first identified on May 2, 2026, and the WHO declared it an outbreak by May 6, 2026. Seventeen Americans remained on board as of May 12, 2026, with the ship expected to arrive at Spain's Canary Islands. Three passengers died after developing feverish illness during the Argentina-to-Antarctica voyage in early April 2026.

Hantavirus cruise ship outbreak

▪Seventeen Americans remained on board the MV Hondius as of May 12, 2026.
▪The World Health Organization called the MV Hondius situation an outbreak by May 6, 2026.
▪The 70-year-old Dutch man who developed illness on the MV Hondius died less than a week after becoming sick.
▪Hantavirus was first identified as a cause of sickness in one of the MV Hondius cases on May 2, 2026.
▪About seven Americans disembarked from the MV Hondius in April 2026.
▪A 70-year-old Dutch man developed a feverish illness on the cruise ship MV Hondius traveling from Argentina to Antarctica and some islands in the South Atlantic in early April 2026.
▪The MV Hondius was expected to arrive at Spain's Canary Islands early May 12, 2026 local time.

CDC diminished response

▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention briefing on May 11, 2026 prohibited media from citing speakers by name under rules set by aides to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed deployment of a team to Spain's Canary Islands on May 10, 2026 to meet Americans onboard the MV Hondius.
▪Dr. Jay Bhattacharya appeared on a Fox News program on May 11, 2026 regarding the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak.
▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a statement on May 8, 2026 saying the risk to the American public from the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak is extremely low.
▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention held its first briefing about the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak on May 11, 2026 by telephone only for invited reporters.

Trump administration health policy changes

▪President Donald Trump stated on May 10, 2026 that the United States seems to have the MV Hondius hantavirus situation under very good control.
▪Roughly 30 bilateral health agreements between the United States and individual nations are currently in place.

Diamond Princess comparison

▪The Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan became the setting of one of the first large COVID-19 outbreaks outside of China in 2020.
▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shared genetic data on the virus from the Diamond Princess outbreak in 2020.
▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention helped evacuate American passengers from the Diamond Princess in 2020.
▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent personnel to the Diamond Princess port in Japan in 2020.
▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention held public briefings about the Diamond Princess outbreak in 2020.
▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention coordinated with the World Health Organization and Japan during the Diamond Princess outbreak in 2020.