Tenerife protests threaten to block hantavirus cruise ship evacuation | World | News
Large crowds of port workers and local residents are demonstrating in Tenerife against proposals to permit the hantavirus-hit cruise ship to berth this weekend.
Spanish authorities on Friday were making preparations to receive more than 140 passengers and crew members aboard the hantavirus-stricken cruise liner bound for the Canary Islands, where health officials have confirmed they will conduct meticulous evacuations.
The vessel is anticipated to arrive at the Spanish island of Tenerife, situated off the coast of West Africa, on Saturday or Sunday. None of the remaining passengers or crew aboard the ship is presently displaying symptoms, Netherlands-based Oceanwide Expeditions cruise ship company confirmed Thursday.
However, Canary Islands residents are deeply concerned about potential viral transmission to the local population, and have questioned from the outset why the Spanish government consented to the ship docking in Tenerife.
While politicians in Madrid have maintained there exists a “moral and legal obligation” to assist those aboard the vessel, local inhabitants have taken to the streets with placards declaring “unsafe port” or “for work no, for the risk yes” in a direct message to decision-makers, reports The Mirror.
Some demonstrators could be heard chanting: “We want work, not illness.”
The president of the Tenerife Port Authority, Pedro Suárez, outlined this Friday that passengers from the MV Hondius will be transported in stages, initially via small boats and subsequently by road straight “to the bottom of a plane’s steps” where they will then be flown to their respective countries. Efforts to “calm tempers” have proved largely ineffective, with a significant number of demonstrators insisting that “safety is not optional”. The Platform for the Port of Tenerife, a dock workers’ union, has threatened to “block” the vessel’s access to the Canary Islands “if we are not given safety guarantees”, according to its spokesperson Elena Ruiz.
One individual told local media: “I am from the Canary Islands and they treat us like rubbish.” Another protester declared: “It’s the same story as with Covid. They’re not fooling us. We’re fed up with the Canary Islands being Pedro Sánchez’s dumping ground.”
The UK Health Security Agency confirmed that none of the British nationals aboard the vessel, which is currently en route to Tenerife, are displaying any symptoms, though they are being kept under close observation.
An official statement indicated that the ship is expected to arrive in Tenerife on Sunday, in line with the latest updates from the Spanish health ministry. The UKHSA further stated: “UK Government staff will be on the ground ready to support the British nationals disembarking.
“British passengers and ship crew not displaying any symptoms of hantavirus will be escorted by UK Government staff to an airport and given free passage back to the UK.” Foreign Office officials and UKHSA teams are set to continue supporting passengers, with a dedicated repatriation flight being arranged for those on board. The statement added: “UKHSA is working with partners to ensure the flight operates under strict infection control measures.
“Public health and infectious disease specialists from UKHSA and the NHS will be on board to monitor British nationals whilst on the flight, to ensure that preventative measures are in place and to provide any care in the unlikely event that any passengers become unwell on the flight.”
