The post, shared on Instagram by the program Ponte al Día, asked users for their opinion on the arrival of a vessel with infected passengers. This phrasing was challenged by the Inter-centre Committee of Televisión Canaria, which demanded its removal.
According to internal sources, the original question posed to passers-by on Triana street in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria was more neutral: “What do you think about the arrival of the ship with Hantavirus?”. The loaded version is attributed to the individual responsible for the social media post.
“"Decision-making at RTVC regarding the arrival of the MV Hondius is questionable, far removed from the public service we defend. A private program, Ponte al Día, which deals with public information, decides to ask Canarians with a lie, since currently no confirmed infected person is traveling on the ship. Asking with a lie is lying to us, and we reject it."
The program broadcast various responses to the question, most of them opposing the ship's arrival on Canarian shores. This stance contrasts with that of the regional Government and the Cabildo de Tenerife, which have expressed their opposition to the islands attending to the people on board, despite international agreements and the supervision of the World Health Organization.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reiterated that there are no symptomatic passengers aboard the Hondius. A WHO expert is on the ship, and medical supplies are available. Spanish authorities have prepared a detailed plan for transferring passengers ashore at the industrial port of Granadilla, away from residential areas, for their subsequent repatriation.
