Clavijo rejects hantavirus‑laden cruise docking in Canary Islands, demands urgent meeting with Sánchez

The president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, has refused to allow the cruise ship carrying hantavirus cases to call at the archipelago and has demanded an “urgent meeting” with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. He argues that the decision lacks any technical basis and that there is insufficient information to keep the public calm and guarantee the safety of Canary residents.

In interviews with Onda Cero and Cadena Cope (reported by Europa Press), Clavijo accused the Spanish government of “institutional disloyalty” and unprofessionalism for not keeping him informed. He also rebuked Health Minister Mónica García for failing to explain the criteria followed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

“I cannot allow this ship to enter the Canary Islands,” he insisted.

Spain, after a request from the WHO and the European Union, has approved the cruise’s stop in the Canaries to provide medical care to passengers and crew under a strict international protocol.

Clavijo says he is “unaware” of any change in the government’s criteria. He explained that, the day before, he spoke with Health Minister García, who assured him that the agreed protocol stipulated that infected passengers would be flown from Cape Verde to the Netherlands on medicalized aircraft, and that the ship itself would continue to the Netherlands because no medical emergency justified disembarking in Praia or the Canary Islands.

According to Clavijo, he later began hearing “rumours” that the executive was altering the criteria. When he asked for clarification, García replied that the Netherlands had made a “request for assistance” that Spain must honor.

“On what basis is that request for assistance made? What report supports it? What happened between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.?”

Clavijo also questioned why the vessel must stop in the Canaries, noting the lack of information on the matter.

He Does Not Understand the Scale of the Crisis

Clavijo reiterated that he will not jeopardize the safety of the Canary population, emphasizing that his community is “not accustomed to operating this way.” He demanded “serious” technical reports justifying the decision. He even offered to cut short a scheduled meeting in Brussels with European Commission Vice‑President Teresa Ribera and return to Madrid for an urgent discussion with the prime minister.

He argued that there is no medical evidence indicating that the ship—currently anchored in Praia, Cape Verde—needs to bring passengers “three days and 900 miles” to the Canaries.

“The Spanish Government, the WHO, European countries, and the affected nation can intervene perfectly where the ship is, with all guarantees, and we will provide any necessary assistance,” he said, criticizing the Health Ministry for acting without “medical reports” or data on “how many patients are infected or what the transmission vector is.”

The Canary Islands Have Only One High‑Requirement Bed in Tenerife

Clavijo admitted that, because he does not know the “dimension of the crisis,” he cannot confirm whether the Canary Health Service (SCS) is prepared to handle the emergency. He noted that the islands have one high‑requirement bed that would need to be activated at Hospital de la Candelaria in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

He added that the Cape Verde government, on its official website, classifies the situation with the cruise as a “low‑risk” scenario—the opposite of what the WHO has indicated.

Six Cases Identified

• A total of six cases have been identified on board the Hondius; two have been laboratory‑confirmed.
• Three of the affected individuals have died.
• One is in critical condition in South Africa.
• Two crew members require urgent medical attention.
• An additional person, a companion of a deceased passenger, is in quarantine as a suspected case.

The ship carries 149 people from 23 nationalities (including 14 Spanish nationals: 13 passengers and one crew member). Of the total, 88 are passengers and 61 are crew.