The arrival of the MV Hondius at the port of Granadilla, in Tenerife, has initiated an unprecedented biosecurity operation, coordinated by more than twenty countries. The objective is to transport the 144 passengers from the vessel, who must complete a supervised isolation of at least three weeks in specialized quarantine hospitals.

This complex logistics aims to prevent a potential global health crisis, similar to COVID-19, although the probability of contagion in this case is considerably lower. The passengers, from 23 different nationalities, include 19 citizens from the United Kingdom, 17 from the United States, and 14 from Spain, in addition to an WHO epidemiologist. The crew, mainly composed of 38 Filipino workers, will be evacuated through the European RescUE program.

Each country has implemented rigorous protocols. The United Kingdom, for example, will transfer its citizens to the High-Level Isolation Unit (HLIU) of the Royal Free Hospital in London, where they will undergo 21 days of forced isolation. Additionally, the UK Army has conducted an operation to deliver medical supplies by parachute to Tristan da Cunha, one of the cruise's previous stops, due to a suspected hantavirus case.

Meanwhile, the United States will centralize the reception of its nationals at the National Quarantine Center of the University of Nebraska in Omaha, with transfers in biocontainment ambulances and a mandatory federal quarantine. The Netherlands, the flag state of the vessel, will use the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and Radboudumc, and will perform daily genomic sequencing of samples to detect possible virus mutations.

Germany has activated its Network of Treatment Centers for Highly Contagious Infectious Diseases (STAKOB), with hospitals such as Charité in Berlin, and has mandated the incineration of all luggage. The Philippines has established militarized confinement for its crew members and a “reinforced surveillance zone” in their home communities. France has designated the Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard in Paris as a national reference center, with mandatory 21-day quarantines and the deployment of mobile laboratory units.

Australia will receive its citizens at Westmead Hospital in Sydney, with double biosecurity checks and remote electronic monitoring. Canada will transfer its nationals to the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, with government-supervised quarantine and travel restrictions. Finally, Belgium has activated the Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), with PCR tests every 24 hours and thermal destruction of luggage, in addition to an alert network in primary care centers.