Barcelona and Alicante women under hantavirus isolation to receive visitors on Monday after testing negative

The two women in Alicante and Barcelona who have been in isolation due to hantavirus suspicions for more than a week tested negative on Saturday. They remain asymptomatic, meaning they can now receive visits from family members, as the Ministry of Health reported on Sunday.

The two women shared a flight with the 69-year-old Dutch woman who died from the virus on 26 April. She was among the passengers of the MV Hondius cruise ship, where the outbreak started.

According to Spain's Health Minister Mónica García, if the two women's condition continues improving and the next test on 23 May is negative, they will be able to continue their quarantine at home, as 28 days will have passed since their exposure on 25 April. A committee will define the specific conditions and measures for this home quarantine this week.

The 32-year-old woman from Alicante has been at the Sant Joan hospital since 8 May, when the Ministry of Health contacted her following the European alert system's notification.

She remains in a negative-pressure room that ensures her isolation, separate from other patients and staff. She has already undergone four PCR tests.

The Valencian regional ministry of health has activated all the necessary resources to guarantee the safety and epidemiological surveillance of both the public and healthcare professionals.

Meanwhile, the Barcelona resident has also tested negative for the second time. She is under observation at the isolation unit of the Clínic hospital.

The 13 people still under isolation at the Gómez Ulla hospital in Madrid will undergo a second PCR test on Monday, following the first one a week ago. If the result is again negative, they will be able to access the common areas of their ward and receive visitors, always adhering to the protection and prevention measures established by the health authorities.

One of the four Canadian passengers who have been under isolation after leaving the MV Hondius ship tested "positive" on Saturday after developing mild symptoms.

"Obviously, this isn't what we expected, but it is what we had planned for. I know that news like this can be very alarming, but hantavirus is very different from other respiratory viruses we've dealt with, such as Covid-19, the flu or measles. We still don't consider it to have pandemic potential," Canadian epidemologist Bonnie Henry said.

The four Canadian passengers began their isolation in Vancouver after returning from Spain on 10 May. Shortly after that, the health authorities transferred three of them to a hospital in Victoria.