The incident occurred during the transfer of Spanish passengers from the MV Hondius, the hantavirus-affected cruise ship that anchored in the port of Granadilla. The images, which quickly went viral on social media, show an individual, identified as one of the psychiatrists mobilized to assist the passengers, exiting the UME vehicle with the PPE in hand, rather than wearing it.
“"It was planned that personnel should wear PPE inside the bus for safety. Upon exiting the vehicle, the protocol indicated that they should remove the suit and deposit it in a specific container."
The Director General of Civil Protection, Virginia Barcones, has provided public explanations, asserting that the action plan for evacuating those affected by hantavirus was extremely strict. According to her statements, regulations prohibited entering the airport's boarding area with the protective suit on, which would justify its immediate removal upon disembarking the bus.
The deployment for the arrival of the MV Hondius in Tenerife involved 360 agents and a meticulous security operation. The UME buses, responsible for transfers to Tenerife South Airport, even had plastic-lined seats to minimize contamination risks. Despite this, the image of the healthcare professional without PPE has caused concern among the local population and health safety experts.
“"I repeat, he had to take it off upon exiting because he could not access the restricted area with it on."
Barcones reiterated her confidence in the professionalism of the emergency team, stating that the healthcare worker was to report to an auxiliary command post next to the airport and that the protocol required the removal of PPE before entering the restricted area, where it was to be properly disposed of.
