UK re-opens former Covid isolation site for hantavirus cruise passengers

• UK health officials prepare to quarantine returning cruise passengers at Arrowe Park Hospital following a deadly hantavirus outbreak.

The UK government has announced that British passengers and crew returning from a virus-stricken cruise ship will be quarantined at Arrowe Park Hospital, the same facility used to isolate citizens during the initial outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

The decision comes as the MV Hondius, a Dutch-flagged vessel currently at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak, is scheduled to dock in Tenerife on Sunday morning.

Repatriation and Quarantine Details

According to NHS officials and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), approximately 22 British nationals will be flown back to the UK via a government-chartered flight. Upon arrival, they will be transported directly to the Wirral hospital for an initial clinical assessment.

• Location: Arrowe Park Hospital, Merseyside (Staff accommodation blocks).
• Duration: An initial managed stay of 72 hours for testing and screening.
• Long-term Isolation: Following the initial assessment, passengers may be required to self-isolate for up to 45 days (roughly six weeks) due to the long incubation period of the virus.

Janelle Holmes, Chief Executive of Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, reassured the public that the site is well-equipped for the task.

"We have been asked to house the guests, recognizing how quickly and positively we responded to the repatriation of British nationals from Wuhan and the Diamond Princess," Holmes stated in a letter to staff. "Nobody showing any symptoms will be transferred here; if anyone becomes unwell after arrival, they will be transferred quickly to a specialized facility."

The Hantavirus Outbreak

The outbreak on the MV Hondius has been linked to a birdwatching expedition in Ushuaia, Argentina, which occurred before the ship departed for its Atlantic crossing.

The current situation remains critical:

• Casualties: Three deaths have been reported, including a Dutch passenger who died after leaving the ship in St. Helena.
• Confirmed Cases: Five laboratory-confirmed cases of hantavirus, with several other suspected cases.

British Patients: One British man is currently in intensive care in South Africa, while another is being treated in the Netherlands.

Public Risk Assessment

Health Secretary Wes Streeting emphasized that the government is taking "urgent action" to support the involved citizens.

However, Professor Robin May, Chief Scientific Officer at the UKHSA, noted that the risk to the general British public remains "negligible." Unlike Covid-19, hantavirus is typically spread through contact with infected rodent droppings or urine.

While rare human-to-human transmission is being investigated in this specific Andean strain, health officials maintain that the strict quarantine at Arrowe Park is a "highly cautious" precautionary measure.