French national shows symptoms on return from hantavirus-hit ship

Passengers could be seen from afar wandering around on the deck of the ship, or at the windows, all in white medical face masks, as the first evacuations took place on Sunday morning.Several sat socially distanced on the first evacuation boat, filming and taking photos as they approached land, where they were met by officials in white protective suits.While being couriered to the airport, some British passengers - clad in blue PPE - waved and gave thumbs up as they drove past the assembled media.The arrival of the Hondius was met by opposition from some, including the Canary Islands' regional president, who expressed concerns over the virus spreading to Tenerife.Hantaviruses are usually carried by rodents, but human transmission of the Andes strain - which the WHO believes was contracted by some of the ship's passengers while in South America - is possible.Symptoms can include fever, extreme fatigue, muscle aches, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and shortness of breath.The first passenger death occurred on 11 April and another on 2 May. A 69-year-old Dutch woman who left the ship in St Helena on 24 April travelled to South Africa, where she died two days later.