The health crisis that left the Canary Islands speechless

The Canary Islands Government was left without decision‑making capacity in the face of imposed External Health and Development

In addition to the alarm felt by Canary society over the MV Hondius health crisis, the past few days have seen a growing tension between administrations, leaving a sense of emptiness—especially among the Canary authorities.

The fear stems from the islands being on the brink of collapse during the previous pandemic, from the scant information and the high risk, and most of all from the tension generated during decision‑making moments, marked by back‑and‑forth exchanges with the central authority.

The feasibility of a joint, agreed‑upon operation began to crumble almost from the start. All signs point to the fact that there were countless simpler ways to handle the situation—particularly when the verb used was “impose”.

That is exactly what happened on Saturday night when the Merchant Navy decided to impose the operation at Granadilla port, stating that it could include not only anchoring but also docking or even towing the MV Hondius, which was affected by a hantavirus outbreak. This was recorded in a resolution signed on Sunday by the Director General of the Merchant Navy, Ana Núñez Velasco.

“Impose the reception of the MV Hondius in the port of Granadilla, Tenerife, either by anchoring or by docking, as decided by the authorities responsible for the health operation that will be applied to the people on board.”

The competence debate has been settled, but the deeper political debate has just begun. Both sides present profound arguments, yet the reality is that the islands were excluded from any decision. This points to a growing rift between administrations—a split that, after certain statements from central government representatives, has become bluntly confrontational with the island government.

The sense of distance between the archipelago and the mainland is widening, straining many relationships that will be hard to rebuild. The most important thing is that the islands’ public health has not been compromised—time will tell—but the health of the Canary Islands’ self‑government has been damaged by this crisis, and a solid remedy will be needed.