Anger and resignation in Tenerife as hantavirus ship approaches

Nearby, watching the protest, was nutritionist María de la Luz Sedeño, who agreed with much of what the demonstrators were demanding and could barely contain her fury."This is the last straw when it comes to everything the people of the Canary Islands have to put up with," she said - an apparent reference to the continuing arrival of thousands of undocumented migrants in boats from North and West Africa. For some Canary islanders, hosting migrants is a source of pride - while for others, like Sedeño, it is a cause of frustration. But they all seem to agree that migration makes their territory the focus of an international drama.More than 3,000 people died in 2025 trying to reach the Canary Islands, often in makeshift dinghies, according to NGO Caminando Fronteras. Pope Leo is due to visit in June and meet migrants and organisations dedicated to helping them.María de la Luz Sedeño cited the fact that the central government had disregarded staunch opposition to the cruise ship's arrival voiced by the president of the Canary Islands region, Fernando Clavijo."The people here are not being listened to."ReutersMV Hondius (pictured) was not allowed to dock in Cape VerdeThe Socialist-led central government has responded to the accusations of high-handedness and lack of transparency by providing details of the boat's arrival this weekend.It will not dock directly in Tenerife but will instead anchor out at sea and its passengers will be ferried to the vast industrial port of Granadilla, in the south-east of the island, well away from residential areas. Soon after their arrival they will be repatriated, or, in the case of the 14 Spaniards aboard, taken to Madrid to be quarantined.The authorities insist there will be no contact between passengers and local residents who "will be absolutely and completely protected", according to Virginia Barcones, head of Spain's civil protection agency.The government's efforts have won over at least some islanders."Now I'm a bit calmer because there's more information," says Marialaina Retina Fernández, a pensioner, who describes the local healthcare facilities as "the best there is". She appears resigned to the idea of briefly sharing her island with the boat's passengers."It's not ideal that they all end up coming here," she explains. "But if [the authorities] say they'll do everything possible to make sure nobody gets infected, let's hope that's how it is."MV Hondius is arriving with the agreement of Madrid, but this has not prevented the far-right Vox party from trying to capitalise on the issue, drawing a comparison with the arrival of illegal migrants.