The Spanish Health Ministry has designated Tenerife as the medical reference point for passengers on a Dutch cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak. However, the Canary Islands government opposes this decision, with President Fernando Clavijo requesting an urgent meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to reconsider.
Clavijo believes there are insufficient safety guarantees for the Canary Islands population. "This decision does not respond to any technical criteria, nor have we been provided enough information to maintain a message of calm and guarantee the safety of the population in the Canary Islands," Clavijo told Efe from Brussels, where he had a scheduled meeting with European Commission Vice-President Teresa Ribera. He offered to travel immediately to Madrid if Sánchez accepts the meeting.
Canary Islands health sources told Efe that the Spanish government made the decision to designate Tenerife in agreement with the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Clavijo questioned why passengers from the MV Hondius cannot be evacuated directly to their respective countries of origin from Praia International Airport, the capital of Cape Verde, where the cruise ship is currently anchored.
