A political row is brewing over whether the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak can dock at the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago, once three people aboard the vessel have been evacuated in the coming hours.
Fernando Clavijo, the leader of the Canary Islands, said Wednesday he is opposed to the ship docking there and requested an urgent meeting with Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. That contradicted the Spanish government which said it would allow the ship to dock in Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, in about three days, Spain’s public broadcaster TVE reported.
Meanwhile, another passenger previously on board the MV Hondius has tested positive for hantavirus and is being treated at a Swiss hospital, Switzerland’s health ministry said Wednesday.
Health authorities have emphasized that the outbreak does not pose a wider public health risk.
“We have no information whatsoever nor any official document from the government,” Clavijo, who belongs to the conservative People’s Party which is Sánchez’s main opposition, told Spanish radio station Onda Cero.
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