Five of the 18 U.S. cruise ship passengers quarantined in Nebraska went home Monday, halfway through their quarantine after being exposed to hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesperson said.
The five passengers were permitted to leave under the condition that they stay home — no quick runs for takeout or trips to the grocery store — for the second half of the virus’ full 42-day quarantine period, set to end June 22.
The CDC said all of the passengers who are asymptomatic and haven’t tested positive for the Andes hantavirus were given the option to leave Monday. Those who chose to stay can finish their 42-day quarantine at the National Quarantine Unit in Omaha, Nebraska.
States are required to station law enforcement or public health employees outside the quarantined passengers’ homes for surveillance, the CDC said.
New York and California have agreed to accept returning passengers, according to their departments of health. Arizona and Oregon have also agreed to accept passengers, the CDC said.
“They came to get me in my room at 6 a.m.,” one passenger, a 30-year-old New York resident who did not want to be identified because he feared public backlash, said Monday. The passenger, who said he remains asymptomatic, was given a KN95 mask and driven directly to a private plane.
“There were three medical staff on board with me,” the man said. Those health care workers took his blood pressure throughout the flight. Upon arrival, he said, a motorcade of emergency vehicles escorted him home.
A state trooper in an unmarked vehicle was positioned in front of the man’s house to make certain he would not break quarantine, the passenger said.
The man said he signed a quarantine order with the county health department, agreeing to conditions such as staying on the property, avoiding having other people over and immediately notifying the health department if he doesn’t feel well.
Twice a day at an unannounced time, the county health department will video call him and have him take his temperature, he said.
The New York State Department of Health said in a statement Friday that at least one of its three residents who were passengers on the ship would be staying in Nebraska. The others were returning to New York on “non-commercial flights.” They would not be going to New York City, according to the statement.
“They have agreed and are required to remain at their residences, have no contact with other people, and participate in daily monitoring activities conducted by local health officials. Plans are in place to transport them to appropriate medical facilities if they develop symptoms or need any other medical care,” the statement from Dr. James McDonald, health commissioner for New York, said. “At this point, it is important to emphasize that there is no immediate risk to the public.”
The California Department of Public Health also said in a statement Friday that two residents who were passengers on the Hondius would return to the state to be monitored for illness for the remainder of the quarantine period.
The passengers are not required to leave. Among the 13 who remained in Omaha is Jake Rosmarin, who posted on Instagram that he’s staying put for the full 42 days, saying that it gives him “peace of mind.”
“I do not want to leave here until I know that there is a 0% chance of me getting sick, a 0% chance of me risking my family and friends getting sick, or the general public getting sick,” Rosmarin said.
As of Monday, 13 hantavirus cases linked to the ship have been reported worldwide, with 11 cases confirmed. All were among passengers or crew members on the Hondius. No Americans have tested positive.
Three people from the cruise died, including a Dutch couple who health officials believe were exposed to the virus while they were visiting South America.
All of the cases involve the Andes strain, the only strain known to pass from person to person.
While there are some reports of people catching it through casual contact, scientists say it doesn’t spread easily. Most people with hantavirus, including the Andes strain, become infected after breathing in particles from the urine or droppings from rodents that carry the virus.
Large outbreaks are extremely rare; just 2% to 5% of all Andes cases are estimated to stem from person-to-person transmission.
