The National Court enters the case of the cruise ship with hantavirus: asks Health for the reports of the operation in the Canary Islands after the appeal of an association to stop the disembarkation

The Audiencia Nacional has requested from the Ministry of Health all files and reports related to the arrival of the cruise ship MV Hondius at the port of Granadilla de Abona, after admitting for processing the appeal filed by the organization Iustitia Europa. The entity requested as an urgent precautionary measure the immediate suspension of the docking, disembarkation, and transfer of passengers and crew after the hantavirus outbreak detected aboard the ship.

In the appeal filed before the Contentious-Administrative Chamber, Iustitia Europa maintains that the operation designed by the health authorities cannot be based solely on public communications or informative notes. The organization also warns of the “extreme seriousness” of the health context, recalling that three deaths related to the outbreak and several critical cases have already occurred during the cruise's voyage.

The association also focuses on the incubation period of hantavirus, which can extend up to 45 days, and considers that the absence of immediate symptoms does not constitute a sufficient guarantee to authorize a generalized disembarkation without more exhaustive judicial supervision. For this reason, the court has required the Ministry of Health to submit all technical and administrative documentation within a period of 20 days to analyze the operation planned by the Government.

The operation coordinated by the Ministry of Health also has the collaboration of the European Union, the World Health Organization and the health authorities of Canarias. The Executive maintains that the disembarkation of the MV Hondius will be carried out under strict scientific and health safety criteria, while the evacuation and monitoring efforts of passengers from more than twenty countries continue.