SBS Australia: Australian cruise passengers arrive in Perth for managed-quarantine transfer after 48-hour transit through the Netherlands

SBS News (Australia, evening bulletin, 15 May 2026): The four Australian passengers and one New Zealand resident from the MV Hondius cruise have arrived in Perth after a 48-hour transit through the Netherlands following their May 11 departure from Tenerife. Australian Health Minister Mark Butler had previously described the repatriation as a 'complex operation' requiring 'a crew willing to undergo quarantine after the flight,' with refueling arrangements managed en-route. The Australians will complete the 42-to-45-day surveillance window in an Australian quarantine facility; the New Zealand resident is being routed onward from Perth. None of the six has shown symptoms. Australia continues to report no domestic hantavirus cases and characterises the public-health risk as very low.

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Author

SBS News (Australia)

Disease

hantavirus