MV Hondius passengers cleared to leave Nebraska quarantine as ship is disinfected and cleared for service

An outbreak of the Andes variant of hantavirus on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius resulted in 13 confirmed or probable cases and three deaths, according to the World Health Organization. The virus was introduced by passengers and did not originate on the vessel. Eighteen American passengers were brought to the United States and placed in a national quarantine unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. After three weeks in quarantine, five passengers who remained symptom‑free were released to continue monitoring at home; the remaining thirteen will stay until the end of the 42‑day monitoring period on June 21, with daily health checks by state and federal officials. One passenger, Jake Rosmarin, said, “For me personally, this experience has been incredibly traumatic,” and chose to remain in Nebraska for the final weeks of his quarantine. Federal authorities arranged chartered, biocontainment‑controlled flights for the repatriated passengers. Meanwhile, Dutch health authorities and the specialist firm EWS Group completed a ship‑wide cleaning and disinfection of the Hondius in Rotterdam. The vessel received official clearance to resume operations, with a scheduled departure on 6 June to Longyearbyen, Svalbard, and a subsequent Arctic cruise. All crew from the previous voyage remain in quarantine. The WHO and U.S. CDC have stated that the risk of a wider outbreak or pandemic is low, and no hantavirus cases have been reported in the United States.