Australians and New Zealanders who were aboard the deadly hantavirus-hit cruise ship have been taken to the Netherlands after a last minute change of plan on what the health minister called a \u201cdifficult\u201d mission.<\/p>\n
Once back in Australia they will undergo the first three weeks of a 42-day quarantine at the Bullsbrook national resilience centre, just outside Perth. The flight crew that brings them back to the country will have to join them, Australia\u2019s health minister, Mark Butler, said.<\/p>\n
But the six people who had been travelling aboard the MV Hondius will first spend up to two days in the Netherlands, instead of returning direct from Tenerife.<\/p>\n
They landed in the Netherlands on Tuesday morning, Australian time, on the first leg of a complex operation to repatriate them, Butler said. There they were greeted \u2013 at a safe distance \u2013 by Australian ambassador Greg Fench.<\/p>\n
Bullsbrook national resilience centre. Photograph: Multiplex<\/p>\n
They were taken to a quarantine hotel before a charter flight takes them to Australia later this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a difficult arrangement to make,\u201d Butler told ABC News on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to have crew that are willing to isolate at the end of the flight, you\u2019ve got to have a flight that has some refuelling arrangements put in place between the Netherlands and Australia \u2026 And it\u2019s important that we\u2019ve put those quarantine arrangements in place, ready to go when they do land in Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n
The government nevertheless expected the four Australians, one permanent resident and one New Zealand citizen to be back in Australia by the end of the week. As of late Monday night, it was understood none of them were displaying symptoms of the virus.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re only able to stay in the Netherlands for a maximum of 48 hours. So, over the next 24 to 48 hours, we expect them to start their flight back to Australia,\u201d Butler said.<\/p>\n
Medical personnel will be on board the flight, which is expected to land at RAAF Base Pearce in Perth, according to government advice.<\/p>\n