Australians from hantavirus cruise ship to fly out of Netherlands in full PPE after plane and crew secured

"Four Australian citizens, along with a permanent resident and a New Zealand citizen, were due to take off from the Netherlands on Thursday evening local time and would land in Perth on Friday afternoon. Six passengers are still in good health, they have all tested negative for hantavirus and are showing no symptoms as well. Passengers and crew members will travel this flight for its duration in full PPE. There are very strict conditions about the flight, the landing, and the quarantine arrangements."

"The passengers will be subject to a quarantine order, remaining at Western Australia's Bullsbrook quarantine facility for at least three weeks. The flight crew bringing them home will also be required to quarantine, either in Australia or in another country. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had scrambled to find an aircraft and crew who were able to complete quarantine, after a 48-hour deadline was imposed on their international transfer through the Netherlands by Dutch authorities."

"The outbreak now includes 11 reported cases, with nine officially confirmed. Three people have died. The MV Hondius, which is registered in the Netherlands, is on its way to Rotterdam, with 25 crew members and two medical staff on board. It is expected to arrive on Monday. After disembarking, the crew will enter quarantine and the ship will undergo what its operator calls a thorough cleaning and disinfection process."

"The operation to bring all those on board home in the safest possible way was highly complex. It required intensive cooperation with national and international partners, the Dutch government said in a statement on Tuesday. The Dutch government thanks all those involved, including the health authorities and the people who supported the response."

Four Australian citizens, plus a permanent resident and a New Zealand citizen, will fly from the Netherlands to Perth after the government secured an aircraft and crew able to meet quarantine requirements. The flight is scheduled to depart Thursday evening local time and arrive Friday afternoon. Six passengers remain in good health, have tested negative for hantavirus, and show no symptoms. Passengers and crew will travel for the full duration in full PPE, with strict conditions covering the flight, landing, and quarantine arrangements. The passengers will be held under a quarantine order at Western Australia’s Bullsbrook facility for at least three weeks. The flight crew will also quarantine in Australia or another country. The outbreak includes 11 reported cases, nine confirmed, and three deaths, with the MV Hondius expected to arrive in Rotterdam on Monday for crew quarantine and ship disinfection.

Read at www.theguardian.com