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News & Current Events May 6, 2026 at 8:30 AM

Canary Islands leader rejects hantavirus-hit cruise ship docking there

Posted by Matt0715

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TwiggyPom May 6, 2026 +1777
I won't get my pots and pans ready just yet.
1777
Sharp_Suggestion_752 May 6, 2026 +236
bro.... i cackled, i shouldnt have
236
TwiggyPom May 6, 2026 +89
If we don't laugh we will cry
89
-RoosterLollipops- May 6, 2026 +77
wait, imma need the joke explained to me, i dont recall pots and pans having much relevance. but at the time, I was working in a bar so f****** COVID superhero too, and the black masks kept clients from knowing how that part of my face was covered in blood from the cocaine nosebleeds, lining my lips...that was a dark time jfc i was doing about 70hrs a week too
77
TwiggyPom May 6, 2026 +246
In the UK during Covid there was this whole thing about banging pots and pans outside at a certain time in support of the NHS. I never did it myself. I support the NHS but that whole thing was bonkers to me.
246
DiegesisThesis May 6, 2026 +104
Haha I'm sure all the healthcare workers doing night shifts appreciated their neighbors doing that while they try to sleep.
104
[deleted] May 6, 2026 +86
[deleted]
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TwiggyPom May 6, 2026 +15
I mean it was pretty much that. Very strange. At least I knew what the time was! Now it makes me wonder what neighbours thought of us.
15
BrockStar92 May 6, 2026 +9
Basically any excuse to be able to talk to people in real life, people saw their neighbours from their doorstep at the same time every day.
9
rocksolidaudio 6 days ago +9
NYC did that when I was living there doing residency. I actually really appreciated being appreciated for taking care of Covid patients.
9
Donna-Pham May 6, 2026 +4703
Can't really blame them tbh. Nobody wants to be the port that accepts a disease ship.
4703
weesee2002 May 6, 2026 +2476
Sydney allowed a COVID infected ship into port in March 2020 and then let the passengers loose. Fucken idiots!
2476
sigmoid10 May 6, 2026 +1684
Australia was always way too easy to infect in Plague Inc. despite its favorable geography. Seems like the developers got it right.
1684
GodofsomeWorld May 6, 2026 +691
Wont let u bring in an apple but virus is 100% ok
691
maxdacat May 6, 2026 +234
My Apple doesn't get viruses
234
huckered May 6, 2026 +61
Top work
61
Educational-Wing2042 May 6, 2026 +30
One might have an outsized impact on rural rich people though can’t have that
30
[deleted] May 6, 2026 +228
[deleted]
228
matsy_k May 6, 2026 +142
Only the cookers mate, the rest of us were on your side.
142
hobbesgirls May 6, 2026 +19
cookers, does that mean meth heads or what?
19
taversham May 6, 2026 +40
Conspiracy theorists/COVID-deniers
40
dogman_35 May 6, 2026 +13
so that's a yes, then?
13
Miss_Kitami May 6, 2026 +63
"Only the cookers mate"goddesses I love Aussie slang.
63
TerryCrewsNextWife May 6, 2026 +87
Don't forget all those grey nomad fuckers with their caravans trying to sneak the border then whinged about getting stuck in whoop whoop towns up north unable to get their free healthcare services. Also - Clive Palmer can suck a bag of dicks. What a litigious dumbshit.
87
StrategicCarry May 6, 2026 +33
I know they are real but it’s always funny as an American to see Bluey words like “grey nomads” in real life.
33
tzybul May 6, 2026 +34
As a non native English speaker. It’s like some Mike Pondsmith’s Cyberpunk Universe slang lol
34
[deleted] May 6, 2026 +55
[deleted]
55
Worried-Penalty8744 May 6, 2026 +64
Trick is to start in Madagascar Never fails especially if you load up on airborne and mosquito transmission with coughing Conversely this usually creates the Greenland/Iceland problem as you in turn have to fanny around with cold weather transmission
64
ThatOneFamiliarPlate May 6, 2026 +18
No just start in Saudi Arabia. Busiest airport in the game that goes to every airport. Seaport with a direct path to Madagascar. Hot climate. Arid nation. Just evolve Air 1 and 2 and watch the world go.
18
PointOfFingers May 6, 2026 +36
They had a lot of Australian passengers. They had to be let off in Australia. This is different - this isn't a ship full of people from the Canary Islands. There is no easy way to evacuate them. They don't have the infrastructure to handle them. They are off the coast of Africa and no country can safely handle them.
36
Yuichiro_Bakura May 6, 2026 +6
Couldn't they let them stay on the ship in quarantine? Limit who can come and go while supplying the ship with supplies they need.
6
dynamic-curtain May 6, 2026 +134
F*** when we came back we did two weeks quarantine. Best two weeks ever I have two kids and a wife and we were in a high rise in Sydney apartment. All I had to do every day was nothing. Amazing
134
dynamic-curtain May 6, 2026 +22
We were very lucky we flew from san fran to Brisbane in a brand new boing plane. Huge long haul Boeing and only 12 passengers. Everything g with the brand new plastic on it.
22
n-a_barrakus May 6, 2026 +224
First COVID case in Spain was also a tourist in Canary Islands lol they don't want that again
224
gilbertSpain May 6, 2026 +38
of course it was a tourist or two, its the Canary Islands - all good and bad comes from abroad.
38
JureSimich May 6, 2026 +45
Golden crosses glowing in  the Fog come to mind...
45
No-Spoilers May 6, 2026 +126
It's illegal according to the UN convention of the law of the sea, and the search and rescue convention. They need to declare distress and Cape Verde(an island who kinda needs these things) will have to accept them. Literally just isolate them, and treat them like covid patients but it's far far less transmissive than covid so it isn't nearly as big of a problem. Keeping them on the boat is a nightmare and making the situation so so much worse. [Whats Going on With Shipping made a video yesterday](https://youtu.be/vk25VwYyNU4)
126
ImaginaryRoads May 6, 2026 +44
Anything I could search on regarding hantavirus in the Canary Islands is drowned out by this news. But I wonder if the Canary Islands even *have* hantavirus as a native disease. If they don't, then their reluctance may be due less to the passengers and more that the plague-carrying rodents will come ashore and establish hantavirus within the Islands. I'm sure there are ways around that, but I'm wondering if that's where the reluctance comes in.
44
Fillazo May 6, 2026 +22
I live in the canary islands, and It's the first time I hear about that virus... And yes, we dont want to receive them when there are other better places for them to be treated, starting for the same country they are now....
22
Leather-Ad-6294 May 6, 2026 +33
"literally just isolate them and treat them like covid patients" with what infrastructure? with what resources? with what medical staff? with what equipment? You seem to think that every country is equipped for these kind of medical emergencies, but poor countries cannot afford to.
33
SafeImpressive4413 May 6, 2026 +24
Canary Islands is Spain not Cabo Verde, keep them in Cabo verde don’t send them here
24
BorntoBomb May 6, 2026 +26
nice seeing Sal get brought out. HV is not a novel coronavirus with zero clue about initial origin, unknown chaotic systems, unknown transmission vectors. Its highly studied, and there are treatments.
26
etparle May 6, 2026 +45
There is no treatment for it, only supportive cares. It's no fun to be on ventilation because it can progress to lung failure very fast. Also the mortality is pretty damn high, the north of 35% vs COVID 's 1%
45
LetMeAskYou1Question May 6, 2026 +9
Supportive treatments, yes. It could still easily be fatal. But it's from rodent droppings, urine, and saliva, so far less communicable. Edit: apparently this is the Andes strain, which is the only known strain that can be transmitted between humans, requiring close, sustained contact. Sort of like in a cruise ship.
9
TransBrandi May 6, 2026 +34
Did not have "Plague Ship Cruise" on my 2026 bingo card.
34
maddy_k_allday May 6, 2026 +32
idk why you ever took it off the card post-covid
32
Welshgirlie2 May 6, 2026 +1208
A passenger who was on the ship in April is sick in hospital in Switzerland. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cy592qeq071t
1208
fretkat May 6, 2026 +497
Apparently, we are also going to treat 3 people: \> The ship's Dutch operator Oceanwide Expeditions said on Tuesday that two seriously ill crew members - one British, one Dutch - and a passenger would be taken off the ship and flown to the Netherlands. Edit: according to Dutch news they have been evacuated and are on their way to the Netherlands now.
497
McFestus May 6, 2026 +397
Fun fact! one of the sick crew members is the ship's doctor.
397
leyland1989 May 6, 2026 +409
It makes sense the doctor is exposed to it... Which also means it's likely that human to human transmission is possible.
409
McFestus May 6, 2026 +662
It's certain more than just likely. It's confiemd to be Andes virus, a strain of Hantavirus that is known to have person-to-person transmission. Here's another fun fact: after her husband died, the wife of patient zero took a four hour flight from St. Helena to Johannesburg. She was sick before boarding, deteriorated rapidly in the air, and collapsed at the airport in Johannesburg, dying shortly after. She was at the busiest airport in Africa during the peak of her infection, and we didn't even figure out she had Hantavirus until nine days later.
662
gulfrend May 6, 2026 +594
Perhaps, like with covid, this strain of Hantavirus inexplicably makes sick people urgently want to take busy international flights.
594
McFestus May 6, 2026 +230
Certainly no blame should be placed on her. She'd just lost her husband, no one knew what he was sick with, let alone her, and she just was trying to get home.
230
phflopti May 6, 2026 +107
People definitely go into a weird head space. It reminds me of the UK nurse who came home from a trip with a medical group caring for an Ebola outbreak. Self tested for early symptoms when they flew home. She had a high temperature, which should have triggered 'possible Ebola' cautions. But she & everyone involved somehow convinced themselves she was fine, and she travelled on a plane & public transport to get home. These were a collective bunch of medical professionals who had been nursing Ebola patients, checking against a set criteria which she failed. Some aspect of not wanting to consider the worst seems to take over in these scenarios.
107
GigaChadsNephew May 6, 2026 +25
Me when diagnosing someone else: “You’re cooked!” Me when diagnosing myself: “Nah I’m sure it’s nothing.”
25
strictlyphotonic May 6, 2026 +27
I also wonder if they catch themselves thinking "I've been trained to spot Ebola, I've been seeing patients with it for weeks. I'm seeing Ebola where there isn't any at this point. This Ebola symptom probably isn't Ebola."
27
Illustrious_Back8463 May 6, 2026 +219
She was symptomatic prior to boarding. Should’t she have known it could be bad given she just watched her husband die of xx mystery virus? This whole situation could get extremely bad.
219
McFestus May 6, 2026 +182
She would've had no idea it was even a virus. Old man dies on cruise happens all the time. ANTV can present like heart disease.
182
Icy-Cockroach4515 May 6, 2026 +43
Not to mention no one who is at the start of an epidemic (though hoping it doesn't come to this)...you know, know that they're at the start of an epidemic. It's very easy to assume a bad case of the flu/traveller's diarrhoea/other issues attributed to general health problems that aren't that transmissible and aren't that dangerous even if they were.
43
cancercannibal May 6, 2026 +72
Humans aren't rational beings, especially when in the throws of grief. When you can barely accept the love of your life is dead, it's hard to accept you could be dying of that very same disease yourself. It's easy to think "it's just an unlucky cold" or even "I just feel bad because I'm grieving" — you're holding on to whatever you can.
72
Danny-Dynamita May 6, 2026 +42
You’re not simply “psychologically bracing”. When you’re in such a low mood, you literally feel sick. Depending on how stress manifests in your body, there might be no way to differentiate a depressive low energy status from a common cold or flu. For example, I get random aches and random sneezes because my nervous system becomes hyperactive. I have no allergies and the symptoms disappear after I cheer up. She couldn’t have known it was a virus until her symptoms started getting worse. And that happened while already flying. And to be honest, the first instinct when you’re grieving is to ignore your physical pain precisely because of what I described earlier. Otherwise, we would never get shit done, because most people is not chronically happy.
42
obeytheturtles May 6, 2026 +79
Can people just like... not get on f****** airplanes when they are deathly ill? Is that really so much to ask?
79
BellacosePlayer May 6, 2026 +90
One of the super spreaders in my state in the early days of covid was a dude who, while visibly sick and waiting for his covid results, basically went to every f****** store in town and went to sit down restaurants. People are f****** dumb.
90
eflat123 May 6, 2026 +29
Not giving a c*** about others is normalized.
29
falingsumo May 6, 2026 +91
Sometimes it is too much to ask yes, not always but if you are sick in a foreign country and your husband just died I'd want to get the f*** home to my family too. Not saying it's the right thing to do I am just putting myself in her shoes and I can understand the reasoning
91
McFestus May 6, 2026 +76
Not to mention the fact that at that point, she would've had no idea that either her or her husband were sick of the same thing or even something contagious. New world hantaviruses can present like heart disease, and 'old man dies of heart attack' and 'I feel awful after the death of my husband while we were supposed to be on our dream vacation" are both *staggeringly* more common than contracting ANDV.
76
SFHalfling May 6, 2026 +22
Also they were apparently on St. Helena which is a tiny island in the middle of nowhere. Flying from there to even somewhere like South Africa is likely to give you much better healthcare. It would be better if this was done via medical transport but realistically the average person can't afford that and insurance is only going to cover it if you are already comatose.
22
cansofgrease May 6, 2026 +22
It's a good thing getting sick from other passengers on airplanes isn't common. I mean it happens to me every time I fly economy, must be an outlier.
22
Beepbeep_bepis May 6, 2026 +8
I always wear a mask when I fly because I don’t trust other people. One time when flying from Amsterdam to Seattle, someone’s kid a few rows back had some insane, barking cough that sounded really serious, and I didn’t catch it. I haven’t gotten sick from flying since I started wearing masks and sanitizing everything. You never know whose dumbass decides that their flight is more important than isolating whatever terrifying infectious disease they’ve come down with.
8
Welshgirlie2 May 6, 2026 +39
I think it's a rather fluid operation, and the end destination keeps changing based on the condition of the sick passengers/crew. It's like plans A, B, C, D and E are all in play but none of them are the definitive plan.
39
Flimsy-Sprinkles7331 May 6, 2026 +60
I feel like we didn't truly learn ANYTHING from Covid. 
60
MexicanEssay May 6, 2026 +65
What do you mean? We learned that vaccines have nanobots and/or government gene poison. And that facemasks are meant to increase the concentration of the virus in your body so you die quicker or something. So we should stay away from both to own the libruls and enjoy their tears /s
65
No_Conversation_9325 May 6, 2026 +19
Damn
19
roarti May 6, 2026 +1503
I don't understand why the ship didn't just turn around to Argentina where it departed. In parts of Argentina the virus is endemic anyway. There it wouldn't matter if an infested rat sneaks on land.
1503
erikwarm May 6, 2026 +561
It probably needs supplies to sail that much longer
561
DefenestrationPraha May 6, 2026 +505
They could get some emergency supplies by a helicopter. Expensive, but relatively riskless.
505
markpb May 6, 2026 +237
Very hard to bunker massive amounts of fuel to a ship by helicopter.
237
totallynotabot2532 May 6, 2026 +322
Unless I'm mistaken, ships can be refueled at the sea by other ships
322
LetGoPortAnchor May 6, 2026 +184
That's the default method, even in port.
184
iFornication May 6, 2026 +130
Hi, I do this for a living - STS by barge is common, but is not the default method. Pipelines at ports and trucks are also highly utilized.
130
Geaux2020 May 6, 2026 +20
It's your time to shine! Thanks for the info. How long does it take to fill the massive cruise and cargo ships?
20
iFornication May 6, 2026 +30
Depending the receiving rate, volumes, etc. Traditionally container ships take around 2000-3000mt of fuel oil. Cruise liners run Gasoil (Diesel). Pump rates are around 200/CBM per hour. So many variables involved.
30
trevordbs May 6, 2026 +64
This isn’t how cruise ships take on fuel. There is a lot of precautionary measures to do such a transfer as well. Having done at sea refueling before, and having sailed commercially and worked on cruise ships, I’d rather not attempt this. Edit: Just to add some clarity and more information. Ship's don't go to a pump, they are bunkered - a bit different. It involves ballasting the ship (taking on or taking off water in tanks). Refueling at sea = vessels underway transferring fuel. Here is a photo; [https://cimsec.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/canadian-refuel-600x372.jpg](https://cimsec.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/canadian-refuel-600x372.jpg) You really only see military vessels doing this. It's hard enough to transfer a beer between two 20ft vessels in a lake, try and transfer fuel - i've done it, it's a pain in the ass - in the open ocean going 10-20 knots. Refueling is done by bunker barges, you can do this at the dock or at anchor (in protected waters) under specific conditions. Bunkering at anchor is not refueling at sea; here is a photo. [https://www.marineinsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/10-1-1024x576.jpg](https://www.marineinsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/10-1-1024x576.jpg) Can the vessel be replenished without docking? Yes. Can it be replenished at dock without people touching each other, yes. Why aren't they? Covid scared everyone...
64
totallynotabot2532 May 6, 2026 +30
Not even on emergencies or special cases like this one?
30
takesthebiscuit May 6, 2026 +10
This isn’t a massive cruise ship it’s a relatively small vessel of 6000 or so tonnes for 200 ish passengers and crew
10
SinisterCheese May 6, 2026 +11
It's possible to fuel ships at sea, there are ships and barges designed for it. Ports rarely keep fuel at hand, which is why fueling gets done by a ship/barge. Also the amount of fuel a large cruise ship can take in, is absurd. It'll also need to take in lubricants and lubrication oil, possibly also clear water for it's closed loop cooling units (it can usually also make that via the steam generator/boilers, but that's inefficient. Though cruise ship probably has way bigger steam generation capacity for use in kitchens and heating). It's actually crazy how much various liquids a ship need to operate. I have done maintenance on support systems like pipes and valves. And I'm of the opinion that ships engines are mostly just various liquids being pumped into various needs. Also... F****** crazy to see the general state and condition that the said pipes and valves are. Lot of them get absolutely f****** destroyed in few years, even brass ones. It doesn't need to be done at open sea, but the ship doesn't need to make port for it. The fueling just needs to be done somewhere calm and stable.
11
Dutch_Rayan May 6, 2026 +9
They can dock without letting anyone on or off
9
max_lombardy May 6, 2026 +25
Rats don’t recognize rules. They run up and down the massive mooring ropes.
25
Born-Astronaut9631 May 6, 2026 +9
Nor do the possibly contagious ship workers who interact with the dock workers to load the ship. that is if the human-human transmission is to be believed.
9
JamonCroqueta May 6, 2026 +129
By the time they found out about the Hantavirus outbreak they were about 25 days sailing from Argentina. That's 25 additional days guests and crew are dying from a not particularly infectious disease
129
roarti May 6, 2026 +48
When the outbreak happened they were still in Capo Verde. And now Spain doesn’t want them to dock. I assume those 25 days were with planned stops etc. Sailing back nonstop to Buenos Aires (or somewhere else in northern Argentina) would be much faster.
48
M96A1 May 6, 2026 +11
Because it was a very very very long way from Argentine by the time anyone realised what was wrong, had stopped in multiple other places and some of the ill can be safely managed in places much closer but would die if they had to have a two week sailing back to Argentina.
11
slackrse May 6, 2026 +132
Voyage of the damned
132
CAPITANULLOA May 6, 2026 +35
The novel, movie or the Dr.Who episode?
35
Balcke_ May 6, 2026 +330
Spaniard here. Regional goverments' heads (official title is "President"\*, by the way) have no saying in external borders. So far I have read in Spanish media -left and right leaning- and they all agree on that the "President of the Canary Island Regional Goverment" is upset/disgusted with the idea of the ship docking at the Canary Islands, but he can't do anything. \* "President of the Regional Goverment (whatever its name is)", NOT president of such region
330
werty_reboot May 6, 2026 +23
Exactly. It would be like a Governor.
23
brockhopper May 6, 2026 +58
Yeah, I read El Pais last night and he was expressing concern, but frankly that's irrelevant. Also, as a general comment - this disease is already endemic in Argentina and no world ending pandemic has happened from it yet. People are overreacting.
58
hannabanana_1 May 6, 2026 +54
I hope you're right, but we can also look to history to see that voyagers bringing diseases that are endemic to their homeland to unexposed (and therefore unarmed in terms of the natural immunities that endemic exposure brings) populations has resulted in massive die-offs.
54
brockhopper May 6, 2026 +19
Yes, but hantavirus isn't one that people develop a natural resistance due to exposure - it's too uncommon. It hasn't burned through Argentina, it is extremely unlikely it will virgin field its way through somewhere else. Obviously I am not psychic, so there is a tiny chance I'm wrong, but right now it seems like everything is being done correctly for this outbreak.
19
Wise_Owl5404 May 6, 2026 +6
Yes and corona viruses are endemic too and yet...
6
casper52192 May 6, 2026 +86
I really feel like this is what we should use Epstein Island for. If a cruise ship has this happen just let them start docking there.
86
Monsoon_Storm May 6, 2026 +484
I don't know why Spain even considered that in the first place... The Canary Islands are a huge tourist destination and it's coming up to prime tourist season. It could have a huge effect on their businesses even if it was done in a "safe way", let alone the potential implications for ease of spreading to other countries if they f*** it up.
484
Balcke_ May 6, 2026 +182
Closest place with the needed medical resources, I think. In the same way that if someone gets sick in a flight , and a doctor says the plane should be diverted, the plane is diverted.
182
kangaroomandible May 6, 2026 +39
It was the original destination of the cruise, before the outbreak.
39
Thunderoussshart May 6, 2026 +18
I'm pretty sure the original destination was Cape Verde.
18
BassObjective9092 May 6, 2026 +180
We are all tired. We don't have the bandwith for another pandemic, and the world political situation is shit right now. Stay on that damn boat, if its' 2-3 months, get treated on that boat. We are tired.
180
whiterice_343 6 days ago +49
Put them on an island, load up a C-17, and air drop supplies a few times a week. After a few weeks go get em.
49
DriveShaftBassPlayer 6 days ago +22
Man that would be a great reality show
22
S99B88 6 days ago +7
Survivor: Hanta
7
secretnewbeginning May 6, 2026 +23
exactly this. they could easily airlift health professionals into the ship and just treat them while quarantined there
23
tthrowaway712 May 6, 2026 +35
Following these news feels like the intro to a zombie apocalypse movie where this seemingly insignificant event is for some inexplicable reason constantly appearing in my feed. I'm getting anxious
35
GloomyWill4 6 days ago +5
my big asia trip in july is starting to sound like a letter written to loved ones in ww2
5
TabiTemi 6 days ago +5
Reading this made me feel like I’m at the start of the zombie movie, seeing something I am gonna be recalling in a bunker
5
Cactusfan86 May 6, 2026 +185
I can’t really blame them, as COVID showed people are self centered idiots.  Even if you put a bunch of quarantine related rules on the passengers once they dock, at least some of the morons will violate it
185
Flimsy-Sprinkles7331 May 6, 2026 +87
Especially since this is a luxury cruise.
87
Beard_o_Bees May 6, 2026 +45
>this is a luxury cruise Can you imagine the category 5 Karenicane that must be raging on that ship rn?
45
Lonely-Abalone-5104 May 6, 2026 +82
Man that would suck to be on that ship
82
Ok-Philosopher1340 May 6, 2026 +7
ESpecially if you are rodent.
7
FataLuncii May 6, 2026 +5
Rodents have a lot of answering to do about this 
5
Narrow_Program_3662 May 6, 2026 +25
Idk why they can’t just anchor off the coast somewhere and have a hospital ship go out and assist/treat patients.
25
Substantial-Use95 May 6, 2026 +24
They could. They could even set up a temporary dock to have flat land to work with. Any personnel working with the passengers in any capacity must undergo a 48 hour isolated quarantine period and undergo extensive testing throughout. They can then be released to a secondary zone of observation for the proceeding week, etc. Offer insanely high pay for working with these patients. Let’s do this. I was an epidemiologist throughout the COVID pandemic so anything I say is correct. Haha
24
Flimsy-Sprinkles7331 May 6, 2026 +22
Militaries have hospital ships for situations such as this. Why aren't they being utilized? 
22
minobi May 6, 2026 +136
At this point every country needs epidemic specialists operation group who can take over similar cases to isolated people and keep them safe at the same time. I feel like we are not far from middle age doctors who burned villages to stop plague.
136
rimeswithburple May 6, 2026 +148
Something like the WHO?
148
tiradium May 6, 2026 +63
Cant wait for the Netflix documentary on this
63
Four_beastlings May 6, 2026 +32
The Nurgle Cruise
32
PhotographElegant475 May 6, 2026 +58
>The word "quarantine" originates from *quarantena*, the Venetian language form, meaning "forty days".[^(\[16\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarantine#cite_note-origin-16)[^(\[4\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarantine#cite_note-Mayer-4) This is due to the 40-day isolation of ships and people practised as a measure of disease prevention related to the [plague](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plague_(disease)).
58
shewy92 May 6, 2026 +42
Hey wait, I've seen this one before.
42
LieutBromhead May 6, 2026 +167
Cruise ships are disgusting
167
StarManta May 6, 2026 +11
This seems to happen with every pandemic scare. The WHO or someone should open a quarantined port somewhere in the region for infected ships.
11
PraetorGold May 6, 2026 +74
Do not let those people off that ship. Containment is crucial.
74
the_unknown_garden May 6, 2026 +76
It's too late. A man from Switzerland who was on the boat in April and has been home for more than a week was just confirmed to also be infected.
76
[deleted] May 6, 2026 +25
[removed]
25
AppointmentPopular10 May 6, 2026 +10
source for this last one?thats huge
10
the_unknown_garden May 6, 2026 +7
The Sun is the only source I can find. 🫥
7
AppointmentPopular10 May 6, 2026 +12
https://news.sky.com/story/three-dead-as-virus-breaks-out-on-atlantic-cruise-ship-13503266?postid=11638466#liveblog-body that makes two sources
12
Organic_Nobody7640 6 days ago +6
Try 23 passengers who all disembarked on the same day as him🥴 Edit: 40
6
unknown-one May 6, 2026 +23
as long as Madagascar doesnt accept them, there is still hope
23
Wolfman01a May 6, 2026 +22
Do NOT let them dock.
22
delorayn1 May 6, 2026 +25
Alright, alright, I'll stock up on toilet paper...
25
percybert May 6, 2026 +17
As I’m sitting here at a pool in Tenerife, keep the f*** away please!
17
HumaDracobane 6 days ago +18
It makes no absolutely sense to let them dissembark. You have them isolated. Treat them there and send there professionals to deal with it on the ship, not on ground.
18
ECHLN May 6, 2026 +29
I really feel sorry for the passengers but I get it. “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few”
29
secretnewbeginning May 6, 2026 +11
exactly. im sorry but they already spread it to different countries, let’s keep the majority of passengers out at sea until it’s contained
11
Cat867543 May 6, 2026 +28
Can we let the cruise industry die already? It’s a huge carbon emission contributor.
28
thoreau_away_acct May 6, 2026 +18
And raw sewage and trash dumping in the ocean
18
Cat867543 May 6, 2026 +19
All so people can have a vacation with what? a buffet and a pool? just go to a hotel
19
Airline_Lower May 6, 2026 +157
Why does Spain always end up in the middle of EVERY pandemic? I can already see it—it’ll be called the Spanish disease
157
eggplantpot May 6, 2026 +168
Hey, we didn’t have anything to do with covid. The Spanish flu was a misleading title too.
168
davidm2d3 May 6, 2026 +148
only reason it was called the Spanish flu was because Spain broke the news about the Virus since they were Neutral during WW1 while the other European countries wouldn't due to wartime censorship to keep up troop morale
148
Falsus May 6, 2026 +17
And the disease came from Kentucky.
17
Fitz911 May 6, 2026 +97
The Spanish flue is one if the things in history... All over Europe people were dying like flies. But since there was war nobody admitted it. Germany, anything strange going on with your soldiers? Nein alles in Ordnung! France? Non. C'est bon. Italy? Prego! Spain? Tbf we have a few strange ecases of a flu like... Ahhhh! It's the Spanish flu!!!!
97
ChickenChaser5 May 6, 2026 +9
Historical version of "the smeller is the feller"
9
Airline_Lower May 6, 2026 +41
I think I didn’t explain myself well because of my poor English (I’m Spanish). In the end, we always end up dealing with all the c*** even when it’s not our fault.
41
bappestinian May 6, 2026 +31
The hantavirus is already named after the Hantan river in Korea.
31
oily_fish May 6, 2026 +18
And this specific strain is called Andes. 
18
SneakyBadAss May 6, 2026 +12
Because the entire world was supposed to be split between Spain and Portugal.
12
Dangerous-Amphibian2 May 6, 2026 +6
The treaty of tortillas. That’s true. 
6
DefenestrationPraha May 6, 2026 +17
Well, massive Spanish-speaking communities and countries are all over the world and people naturally travel to the richest country which speaks Spanish, carrying diseases with them. It also helps that the Iberian peninsula "sticks out" to the Atlantic, making it a nice first stop after crossing the ocean, for ships, planes or even birds.
17
TheShapeShifter20 May 6, 2026 +14
do not let these fuckers on dry land. DO NOT
14
Koekoes_se_makranka May 6, 2026 +66
Question for any medical experts…if this virus is transmitted by disturbing rodent excrement/urine, or at worse through extremely close contact between infected people, why is every country so scared to even let it dock? I get that they’d want to investigate/disinfect the ship and its passengers before letting everyone off, but refusing docking seems like a bit of an extreme measure all things considered?
66
Leverkaas2516 May 6, 2026 +333
If there are diseased rodents on the ship (and there probably are), allowing it to dock is an excellent way to get hantavirus-bearing rodents on your island. 
333
_donkey-brains_ May 6, 2026 +57
They swept the ship and found no rats. The doctor who treated the dead patients is critically ill. This is likely P2P transfer and has nothing to do with rats. Which is worse.
57
himit May 6, 2026 +46
Malta should let them dock, but first summon The Cats of Valletta.
46
faffc260 May 6, 2026 +20
I'm pretty sure cyprus has more cats than people, so maybe there? if your going that route.
20
SneakyBadAss May 6, 2026 +17
Just transport the crew and passengers on a quarantine medical ship and sink that infested nest into the deep ocean. Or does it survive in fish, too? If so, burn it first.
17
randombubble8272 May 6, 2026 +5
I’m imagining the sharks & fish at that level like oh so it’s f*** us huh
5
RayoftheRaver May 6, 2026 +106
It's not just the people, the animals on board, rodents etc., don't go through passport control
106
GRang3r May 6, 2026 +66
They let the ship dock, all passengers disembark. Can’t get flights home immediately, go to hotels, eat at restaurants until they can get on a plane. Maybe someone is currently infected but asymptomatic but spreading the disease. Or they get on a plane and spread it to other unsuspecting people in a tightly air recirculated environment. Rats and mice from the engine rooms escape onto the island and start spreading to their own domestic animals….. this can all be prevented by simply rejecting it from docking. It wouldn’t surprise me if the people on the ship will be there for a very long time to come. Even if they can dock for supplies I doubt disembarkment will happen any time soon until they can be screened for infection. I really feel for those with internal rooms.
66
cloud_watcher May 6, 2026 +27
Someone already did get off and die in an airport. WHO is contact tracing everyone on the plane she was on.
27
Yodl007 May 6, 2026 +22
Not just the people. The rats on the ship go to land and infect the island/mainland which then snowballs further.
22
exposed_silver May 6, 2026 +34
If the disease got loose on the islands it would also hit tourism and they get millions of tourists over there.
34
Backwardspellcaster May 6, 2026 +50
I'd rather be worried about these millions of tourists taking the virus to their home countries and spreading it among the population. The amount of deaths would be horrifying
50
exposed_silver May 6, 2026 +17
Ye, that would be the next step, a disease spreading hub for the EU
17
Jorster May 6, 2026 +34
One strain of hantavirus is from the Andes, and can transmit person to person. There are no known cures for hantavirus and it is anhigh consequence disease. It has 2 pathophysiologies...one has a case mortality rate of 30-50%. I dont remember which the Andes strain is, but people generally dont like high-consequence infectious diseases.
34
Welshgirlie2 May 6, 2026 +35
If the Canary Islands won't let them dock the ship in a port, they could theoretically quarantine the ship offshore and have medical personnel assessing the passengers. Now that they know it's hantavirus, medical teams can use the standard PPE and decontamination routines to avoid any risk of infection. If someone does need evacuation to hospital, then biosafety precautions would be followed. Ships being made to wait offshore is literally where the idea of quarantine comes from. At least today they've got access to food, medicine and the internet.
35
NUBYkiller202 May 6, 2026 +31
The ship departed from the one place where this virus has a strain that's spread from human to human, and symptoms don't show up for about 10 days, And the 1st guy who died on it, well his wife left the boat the same time, got onto another plane and then died in the airport, before they realized what he died from, This could get very bad very quickly. Edit: Welp confirmed to be the human to human strain, this is going to suck very bad
31
Daggers21 May 6, 2026 +13
So if it's endemic there and spreads human to human, why hasn't something like this happened before? Like surely multiple people have been infected and travelled from there for years?
13
Icy-Cockroach4515 May 6, 2026 +36
I think even with investigating/disinfecting the ship and its passengers there is no 0% risk the virus won't spread beyond what it already has. To accept the ship would be to take that risk with no visible gains. I mean sure they'll have the gratitude of the ship and the general world, but I doubt that would translate into any relevant monetary or political points and it's not like they will lose any by rejecting the ship.
36
obeytheturtles May 6, 2026 +7
Not an expert, but we likely don't fully understand how the disease is being transmitted. Despite a whole lot of revisionism on the topic, covid literally re-wrote the medical understanding of viral spread, which has created a lot of uncertainty about medical best practices which are still being evaluated to this day. People are rightfully nervous because this seems to be more contagious than previous Andes virus outbreaks so far.
7
Upset-Somewhere3089 May 6, 2026 +31
Should be allowed to dock in Florida, near the famous residence that most parts of the year doubles up as a sit*ation room.
31
NoMayoForReal 6 days ago +7
That Swiss guy just hopped off and flew home apparently.
7
caughtinadownpour 6 days ago +6
23 people got off in Saint Helena in one of the earlier legs of the ship's trip on the 21st and dispersed to their home countries.
6
[deleted] May 6, 2026 +95
[deleted]
95
kaaskugg May 6, 2026 +35
Cue headlines for the Canary plague. 
35
ooopstgr May 6, 2026 +20
I wouldn't want that either; I hope your local government gets its way!
20
TyrusX May 6, 2026 +16
Hello pandemic my old friend
16
Available_Ad_2806 May 6, 2026 +15
Obviously you have forgotten what happened with covid ,l lost a few friends and colleagues over that. Never again
15
peaceandloveandhippy May 6, 2026 +68
Those poor people on the ship. With strict protocols it can be properly contained.
68
RedIsAwesome May 6, 2026 +52
They already let one off and she flew to Johannesburg, collapsed at the airport, and died the next day.
52
gigi-kent May 6, 2026 +145
> With strict protocols it can be properly contained. Yeah, we've seen how that played out already.
145
arveena May 6, 2026 +41
I mean covid was not really strict protocols at all. First China denied it. Said there was no danger. We only did something after the morgue could not handle the dead anymore in parts in Europe esp Europe. By then it was too late. And even after we tried it people just could not stay isolated at all. I have an immune compromised wife and we live close to a park. People walked their dogs 10 times a day and talking to each other without mask in close proximity was the norm. People could not be bothered even in full lock down. Same with vaccination. People tried to get as fast as possible by beeing connected just to deny the effectiveness of the vaccines 6 months later. Because when the got it was just a mild flu. The human race is not capable of not beeing insanely selfish in such scenarios
41
[deleted] May 6, 2026 +14
[removed]
14
[deleted] May 6, 2026 +7
[deleted]
7
Chelonate_Chad May 6, 2026 +17
> With strict protocols it can be properly contained. We saw with covid that people cannot remotely be trusted to maintain even a shred of such protocols.
17
cphiliptan May 6, 2026 +5
is it time to load on tissues yet?
5
Millkstake 6 days ago +6
With all the intense fear of another global pandemic I think the only choice is to leave them all at sea for a few weeks/months until the infection runs its course.
6
ChromaticDragon 6 days ago +10
The actual, literal early definition of quarantine. From Wikipedia: >The word quarantine comes from quarantena or quarantaine, meaning "forty days", used in the Venetian language in the 14th and 15th centuries and also in France. The word is designated in the period during which all ships were required to be isolated before passengers and crew could go ashore during the Black Death plague.
10
jantoxdetox 6 days ago +7
Come on down in Sydney! We love our cruises with diseases! The Ruby Princess cruise ship arrived at the Port of Sydney on 19 March 2020 and after it docked, almost 2,700 passengers, some with cold and influenza-like symptoms, were allowed to leave the ship. In the weeks following, more than 663 passengers and crew tested positive to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and 28 passengers died.
7
jert3 6 days ago +4
Can't argue with that decision. Canary Leader obviously played Pandemic.
4
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