Jaine said repatriation plans would include a thorough health assessment. He said it’s important to take all possible steps to manage any potential risk to the public.
He said depending on the risk, it is possible it may also include a period of quarantine for any exposed individual on their return to New Zealand.
Jaine said New Zealand’s health services are well-placed to respond if there is a case of hantavirus in the country, but human-to-human transmission of hantavirus is rare and requires prolonged and direct exposure to a case. He said it isn’t like the flu or Covid-19.
The head of the WHO has travelled to Tenerife to reassure residents that there is a low risk of contracting the disease when the ship arrives.
The WHO had assessed the global risk as low and said the risk for New Zealand specifically is low.
– RNZ