Hantavirus cruise ship passengers can leave Nebraska up to 42 days: officials
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Cruise ship passengers infected with hantavirus in Nebraska will be allowed to leave a medical facility before the end of the 42-day period if certain conditions are met, a public health official said Monday.
These people will stay at the facility in Nebraska for at least a few days during testing, Brendan Jackson, acting director of the Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, said.
They will have the option of staying in Nebraska every 42 days if they wish, but if they choose to return home, there will be several factors that play into the decision, such as “whether they remain symptom-free,” he said.
Health officials will also assess whether passengers can safely self-isolate at home, maintain contact with local health departments and quickly access testing or medical care if symptoms develop.
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Brendan Jackson, MD, acting director of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention’s division of high-risk pathogens and pathology, speaks during a press conference at the Davis Global Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which hosts the National Quarantine Unit, on May 11, 2026 in Omaha, Neb. (Dylan Widger/Getty Images)
Only those who can meet those standards, and their home states can coordinate monitoring, will be allowed to leave.
However, officials stressed that the final decision will ultimately involve the passengers themselves.
“Yes,” Jackson said when asked if it was their choice. “We want to do this in a way that is as restrictive as possible… that protects the health and safety of passengers and their communities.”
Jackson noted that passengers can stay at the facility for full-time surveillance if needed.
Of the 18 people sent back to the US after the hantavirus outbreak was tied to the ship, 16 are now in Nebraska, and two are in Atlanta.
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Fifteen people in Nebraska have been quarantined, and one has been placed in a biocontainment unit, said Michael Wadman, medical director of the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Angela Hewlett, MD, medical director of the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit speaks during a press conference at the Davis Global Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which hosts the National Quarantine Unit, on May 11, 2026 in Omaha, Neb. (Dylan Widger/Getty Images)
Angela Hewlett, medical director of the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, noted during the press conference that a person in the biocontainment unit previously had a similar test, which noted that “he was not in the United States. This person was asymptomatic,” she said.
One of the passengers transported to Atlanta had symptoms, noted Matthew Ferreira of HHS.
The risk of hantavirus to the general public is “very low, very low,” Assistant Secretary for Health at the US Department of Health and Human Services Adm. Brian Christine said during a press conference.
“The Andes strain of this virus does not spread easily and requires prolonged contact with a person who already has symptoms,” he explained.
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This aerial photo shows a general view of the cruise ship MV Hondius docked in the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 4, 2026. (AFP via Getty Images)
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The CDC explains online that “Andes virus is the only type of hantavirus known to spread from person to person. This spread is usually limited to people who are in close contact with a sick person. This includes direct physical contact, prolonged time spent in close or enclosed spaces, and exposure to the body fluids of a sick person.”
Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
