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Madrid gives the green light to the isolation of the Spanish passengers of the MV Hondius at the Gómez Ulla
The courts have given the green light to mandatory quarantine for the Spanish passengers of the MV Hondius, the cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak that will arrive in Spanish waters this weekend. A Madrid court has ratified the measure requested by the Ministerio de Sanidad, which plans to isolate those affected for seven days at the Hospital Central de la Defensa Gómez Ulla, in the capital.
The decision backs the protocol approved by the Ministerio de Sanidad, which establishes quarantine in individual rooms, no visits, and a PCR test on arrival and another seven days later. If the second test is negative, the situation will be reassessed; if at any point a PCR is positive, the person will be treated as a confirmed case.
The MV Hondius is scheduled to anchor in the port of Granadilla, in Tenerife, in the early hours of Sunday. According to the forecast released this Saturday, the evacuation of passengers and part of the crew will begin from midday.
The judicial ratification thus clears up one of the key doubts of recent hours: whether quarantine could be imposed mandatorily as it affects fundamental rights. With the court's approval, the health plan gains legal coverage and allows the transfer to the Gómez Ulla under medical supervision.
At the same time, the protocol of the Ministerio de Sanidad has also activated monitoring of contacts on land. In the Comunitat Valenciana, Sanidad has already sent the PCR of a woman who shared a flight with a deceased person linked to the cruise to the Centro Nacional de Microbiología la PCR. If the tests are negative, the protocol provides for her subsequent transfer to the Gómez Ulla as a contact in quarantine; if positive, she would be managed as a confirmed case in a high isolation unit.
In Catalunya, the Generalitat had already reported days earlier that the five Catalans on board the cruise were asymptomatic, in quarantine, and in good health. This information reinforces the preventive approach of the authorities, who are trying to contain the risk before the incubation period ends.
The Ministerio de Sanidad has maintained from the start that Spain should receive the ship in the Canary Islands for reasons of international law and coordination with international organisations. Now, with judicial approval of the quarantine, the focus shifts from political debate to the execution of the health operation.
In summary, the judicial ratification of mandatory quarantine for the Spaniards from the MV Hondius strengthens the operation designed by the Ministerio de Sanidad to contain any possible transmission of hantavirus on Spanish territory. With the ship already heading towards Tenerife and the transfer planned to the Hospital Gómez Ulla, the focus now shifts from the legal debate to epidemiological monitoring and strict compliance with a protocol designed to stop a rare but potentially serious virus.