Canary Islands regional government refuses to receive hantavirus cruise ship

President of the regional government of the Canary Islands Fernando Clavijo is accusing the central government of "disloyalty and lack of transparency" for allegedly not consulting him on the question concerning the arrival of the MV Hondius ship.

"The people of the Canary Islands deserve respect," he said on Wednesday, in response to Spain's decision to receive the ship that detected a hantavirus outbreak on Saturday.

According to Clavijo, the agreement authorities had made at midday on Tuesday was to evacuate the infected passengers on medicalised planes and allow the MV Hondius to continue its journey to the Netherlands with the remaining passengers.

That evening, the government issued a statement announcing its change of course after receiving a formal request from the WHO (World Health Organization).

Clavijo asked why the authorities could not repatriate the more than 100 passengers on the ship (among them 14 Spaniards) from Praia Airport in Cape Verde, where the ship has been anchored, instead of the ship sailing three or four more days to Tenerife. "I cannot allow it to enter the Canary Islands," he said on the Onda Cero radio.

The central government has stated that it was the WHO that determined Spain to be the closest country with the necessary "technical and safety conditions" for such a case.

Following an inter-ministerial meeting PM Pedro Sánchez convened at the Moncloa, Interior Minister Marlaska said that the government could not reject the international organisation's request, not only for "moral" reasons, but also for "legal" ones.

Health Minister Mónica García denied a lack of contact with the Canary Islands regional government, stating that there was "constant communication at all levels". Sources at La Moncloa acknowledged that gathering all the information was necessary initially, but denied that Clavijo, whom the minister had contacted before her press conference, was kept in the dark.

The government believes that the matter will resolve itself in the coming days, during which they have scheduled meetings for the civil protection plans, in which the Canary Islands regional government is also expected to participate.

Government sources have confirmed that they are not considering the "urgent" meeting that Clavijo requested with Sánchez early on Wednesday morning.

García defended her handling of the situation. "We have faced many crises and we know exactly what needs to be done," she said. The minister also declined to engage in any conflicts and stated that the disembarkation will take place at the "secondary" port of Granadilla, from where they will screen the passengers and evacuate them from Tenerife Sur Airport, located just ten minutes away. She said that the planned operation will prevent "any contact with the local population".