17 more Filipinos from hantavirus-hit ship quarantined in Netherlands

MANILA, Philippines — Seventeen Filipino crew members of the vessel MV Hondius — which was hit by a hantavirus outbreak — were placed under quarantine in the Netherlands early Tuesday, May 12, after being evacuated from Spain's Canary Islands. Their repatriation to the Philippines is still being arranged.

The group, which includes six Filipinos, landed at Eindhoven Airport at 1 a.m. local time on a Dutch government-arranged evacuation flight from Tenerife.

They underwent medical tests on arrival before being moved to designated local facilities to begin quarantine, the Philippine Embassy in the Netherlands said in a statement Tuesday.

They are the second batch of Filipino Hondius crew to be flown out. Four arrived May 10 and are also in quarantine. Another 17 are expected to reach Rotterdam aboard the Hondius itself on Sunday evening, May 17, and will likewise be quarantined, bringing the total to 38 Filipinos waiting out isolation in the Netherlands before they can fly home.

The embassy did not state how long the quarantine would last or when repatriation flights to Manila would be arranged. It said it is "in close contact with Dutch authorities and the Migrant Workers Offices in Berlin on arrangements for the eventual repatriation" of the 38 crew members.

Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands J. Eduardo Malaya received the seafarers at Eindhoven Airport alongside Dutch health and foreign ministry officials, as well as Australian and New Zealand diplomats whose nationals were on the same flight. 

"The Embassy conveys its appreciation for the Netherlands Government's proactive and careful handling of this public health emergency, with strict observance of applicable protocols," the embassy said.

Migrant Works Hans Cacdac over the weekend said the 38 Filipinos will undergo a six-week (or 42-day) quarantine after MV Hondius was found to have carried passengers who caught the hantavirus.

The World Health Organization yesterday confirmed that nine cases of the hantavirus infections were linked to the cruise ship. — Cristina Chi