The Filipino seafarers aboard the hantavirus-hit MV Hondius will be repatriated to the Philippines after completing a six-week mandatory quarantine in Netherlands, according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
During an online briefing, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac said 24 of the 38 Filipino crew members would soon fly to the Netherlands from Tenerife, Spain, where the luxury cruise ship is anchored.
The 24 crew members, composed of hotel staff or stewards, will undergo a 42-day quarantine in the Netherlands.
Four crew members are scheduled to leave first, while the other 20 are expected to depart on Monday.
The remaining 14 Filipino crew members, composed of deck and engine staff, will stay onboard to sail the vessel to Rotterdam before beginning their own quarantine upon arrival.
The DMW chief said all Filipino crew members would eventually be sent home to the Philippines after completing quarantine protocols, adding that the ship owner would shoulder all expenses during the quarantine period.
“Even as they undergo quarantine, they will continue to sustain their families,” Cacdac said, assuring the crew members they would continue receiving their salaries and contractual benefits while under quarantine.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said all Filipino crew members have so far tested negative for hantavirus.
He added that the incubation period for the virus can last up to 45 days, prompting authorities to require a 42-day quarantine period in the Netherlands.
Hantavirus, a disease commonly spread through rodents and rarely through person-to-person contact, was first detected aboard the ship on May 2 after South African health authorities tested a British passenger who had been admitted to intensive care.
