The 38 Filipino crew members of MV Hondius, where hantavirus cases were previously reported, have returned to the Philippines after completing their quarantine in the Netherlands, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac confirmed their safe arrival, saying they were assisted by joint teams from the Department of Health (DOH), DMW, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Department of Transportation (DOTr), and the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
“Our 38 MV Hondius Filseafarers arrived home safely last night from quarantine in the Netherlands, ably assisted by DOH-DMW-OWWA-DOTr-BI teams as directed by President Bongbong Marcos,” Cacdac said in a social media post.
The crew members had earlier tested negative for hantavirus before undergoing quarantine.
Cacdac also assured that the seafarers will continue to receive their salaries despite the interruption in their deployment.
“They will continue to receive their wages for the unexpired portions of their contracts and will still be safely employed by their shipowner,” he said.
Hantavirus is a disease typically transmitted from rodents to humans. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) earlier noted that no rats were found aboard the vessel, raising the possibility of rare human-to-human transmission.
Health experts said such transmission is possible through close and prolonged contact, particularly involving the Andes strain of hantavirus, which is present in parts of Latin America.
Those regions include areas visited by the cruise ship and the Dutch couple before boarding.
