The operation, scheduled to take place in less than 24 hours, aims to ensure the health safety of all passengers. Among them are 14 Spanish nationals who will undergo quarantine at the Gómez Ulla Hospital in Madrid after disembarkation.
The complexity of the operation is highlighted by the presence of the Minister of Health, Mónica García, the Minister of Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who will travel to Tenerife to coordinate the efforts.
The vessel, expected to arrive off the coast of Tenerife early Sunday morning, will anchor in the port of Granadilla. A command post will be established there to oversee the evacuation protocol. Passengers will be transferred by boat to the port and then by 'bubble vehicles' to the nearby airport, avoiding any contact with the local population.
A Spanish aircraft will repatriate the 14 national passengers to the Torrejón de Ardoz base, from where they will be taken to the Gómez Ulla General Defense Hospital for monitoring. Health authorities have also identified other asymptomatic contacts who traveled on the same plane as a person who died from hantavirus, including a South African woman and another residing in Catalonia.
“"Citizens need clear, proportionate information based on medical and scientific criteria, avoiding sterile debates."
Given the concern generated by this outbreak, the Spanish Medical Colleges Organization (OMC) has issued a statement calling for calm and prudence, emphasizing that the situation is not comparable to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Spanish passengers, for their part, have expressed their concern about public perception, assuring that they do not pose a risk to public health.
