British passengers who spent weeks on board the hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius have arrived in the UK. They will be transferred to an isolation facility at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, Merseyside.

Repatriation Flight Lands in Manchester

A plane carrying 20 British nationals who disembarked from the ship in Tenerife earlier today touched down at Manchester Airport. The repatriation flight marks the end of a challenging journey for the passengers, who have been on the ship since the hantavirus outbreak was detected.

Isolation and Screening Procedures

The passengers will now be transferred to an isolation facility at Arrowe Park Hospital. Emergency services in the North West of England said they expect the passengers to be kept in the 'managed setting' for up to 72 hours. The hospital was previously used to quarantine patients returning from Wuhan at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Janelle Holmes, the chief executive of Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said in a letter to staff: 'We have been asked by NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to house the guests, recognising how quickly and positively we responded to and supported the repatriation of British nationals from Wuhan and the Diamond Princess prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.'

She added: 'We will be welcoming the guests on Sunday May 10, 2026, and they will all be screened for symptoms before they arrive on site; nobody showing any symptoms will be transferred here. If anyone becomes unwell after arrival, they will be transferred quickly to another facility.'

Evacuation and Disinfection of MV Hondius

The MV Hondius arrived in Tenerife on Sunday morning, with Spanish authorities starting evacuations of the ship by nationality. Passengers were told to leave their luggage on the ship and were only allowed to take a small bag with essential items such as their phone and passport. British passengers were tested for hantavirus before disembarking and returning to the UK.

Some 30 crew members and a nurse from the Netherlands, as well as the body of a passenger who died on board, will remain on the ship, which will sail on to Rotterdam, where it will undergo disinfection, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Coordinated Response and Low Risk to Public

A joint statement from NHS England North West, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board, Merseyside Police, North West Ambulance Service, and Wirral Council prior to the plane's arrival said: 'Organisations across Cheshire and Merseyside are working closely with colleagues from the UK Health Security Agency and other government bodies to support the repatriation of passengers from MV Hondius.'

They added: 'In line with advice from the UK Health Security Agency, on arrival, they will be taken to a managed setting for clinical assessment and testing. We expect this initial stay to be up to 72 hours. Following this, public health specialists will assess whether they can isolate at home or at another suitable location, based on their living arrangements. The risk to the general population remains very low.'

British Army Troops Deployed to Tristan da Cunha

Meanwhile, British Army troops were parachuted into the remote island of Tristan da Cunha to treat a British national with a suspected case of the virus. Six paratroopers, an RAF consultant, and an Army nurse from 16 Air Assault Brigade were parachuted onto the South Atlantic island, while oxygen supplies and medical aid were also dropped on Tristan da Cunha, which is normally only accessible by boat.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it was the first time medical personnel had been parachuted in to provide humanitarian support.