By REUTERS

At least four Filipino crew members of hantavirus-hit MV Hondius arrived in Eindhoven, Netherlands on Sunday night, the Philippine Embassy in The Hague said, citing information from Netherlands authorities.

The crew members were on the flight arranged by the Netherlands government from the Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands.

“The Netherlands Government has arranged facilities for the Filipino crew members for the 6-week quarantine, as prescribed by World Health Organization protocols,” the Embassy said in a statement.

“In coordination with the Migrant Workers Office in Berlin, the Embassy continues to closely monitor the situation of the Filipino crew members while in quarantine,” it added.

The Embassy also said that a second batch, consisting of 17 crew members, will be to leave Tenerife on Monday and travel to the Netherlands.

“The remaining crew members who are regular deck and engine crew will sail the vessel from Tenerife to Rotterdam, Netherlands, and thereafter likewise undergo the 6-week quarantine.”

The Migrant Workers’ Office (MWO) in Berlin said crew members that have completed the required quarantine period their repatriation flight will be arranged by the Philippine local manning agency.

Meanwhile, the Embassy has requested to visit the crew members in quarantine, while observing health protocols, at the soonest time possible.

The developments come amid heightened international monitoring following confirmed hantavirus cases linked to the MV Hondius. The World Health Organization has said the overall public health risk remains low, although health authorities continue tracing and monitoring passengers and crew because the Andes strain of hantavirus can, in rare cases, spread through close human contact.

The Dutch government has taken a leading role in coordinating the international response because the vessel sails under the Dutch flag. The Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has been working closely with the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), the Ministry of Health, and international partners to manage evacuations and preventive measures.

In a public advisory, the Dutch public health agency RIVM emphasized that “the chances of people being infected with the Andes virus, a variant of hantavirus, are very small,” adding that person-to-person transmission is rare and generally requires prolonged close contact. The agency also said the risk to people in the Netherlands remains “very low.”

Dutch authorities have continued to reassure the public that containment protocols, monitoring, and quarantine procedures are in place as international health agencies oversee the situation.