With additional doctors now aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship and those with suspected or confirmed cases of hantavirus evacuated, passenger Kasem Ibn Hattuta said he's feeling reassured.
"The vibe on the ship might’ve been calm with a bit of concern because we were worried about the sick ones, but now it doesn’t feel different than any of the other sea days we had before," the travel content creator said in a statement shared with the media, including USA TODAY, on May 7. "Everyone is keeping high spirit, people are smiling and taking the situation calmly."
Latest updates: Hantavirus being monitored in US. Latest on cruise ship outbreak
Some passengers are reportedly venturing out to the outer decks for walks and bird watching, he continued. When inside, everyone wears masks and keeps a safe distance from each other.
On May 3, the World Health Organization reported a hantavirus outbreak aboard an expedition cruise operated by the Netherlands-based Oceanwide Expeditions. The vessel, the MV Hondius, was en route from Argentina to Cape Verde, an island offshore Africa's west coast, with about 150 guests.
