Arrival of hantavirus-ridden MV Hondius cruise ship revives COVID flashbacks in Canary Islands: ‘I don’t think we can cope’

Anxious residents in the Canary Islands say the pending arrival of the hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius is reviving flashbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic – with some fearing the archipelago will “not be able to cope.” 

Fears are rising in Tenerife — the Canary Islands’ largest island — that the Andes hantavirus strain could spread once passengers disembark the vessel and hospitals could be overwhelmed just as they were in 2020, the Independent reported.  

Locals are equally bewildered by the Madrid government’s allowing the MV Hondius, which has a 40 percent mortality rate, to dock in the Canary Islands despite the staunch opposition demonstrated by the islands’ president.

“I thought, ‘Why us?” intensive care nurse David Hernández, 29, told the outlet.

“This is bringing back flashbacks of the Covid-19