Consular staff are in direct contact with British nationals onboard the ship and the Foreign Office has been “working with other countries to facilitate the medical evacuations, to support our Overseas Territories and to get British nationals home safely as quickly as possible”, Cooper added.
The UKHSA is also working with governments in St Helena, Tristan de Cunha and Ascension Island on isolation, contact-tracing efforts and response protocols.
The vessel will sail to the Canary Islands where all passengers will be evacuated at the Granadilla port in Tenerife, Spain’s health minister Monica Garcia said on Wednesday.
Spanish passengers will be quarantined in Madrid, while those from other countries will be repatriated if they have no symptoms, Garcia said.
Hantavirus is a group of viruses carried by rodents such as mice and rats, and symptoms can include fever, extreme fatigue, muscle aches, stomach pain, nausea and vomiting.
Following the outbreak on the cruise, the UKHSA said the risk to the UK population was “very low” and there was “no need for concern among the general public”.
