The president of Spain’s Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, has firmly opposed plans to allow a cruise ship affected by a deadly hantavirus outbreak to dock in the archipelago, sparking a growing political dispute with the central government in Spain.
Clavijo said on Wednesday he would seek an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, criticising Madrid’s decision as lacking ‘technical criteria’ and sufficient transparency.
‘We will do everything possible to prevent the ship from coming to the Canary Islands,’ Clavijo said, warning that regional authorities had not received enough information to guarantee public safety. ALSO READ: Hantavirus-hit cruise ship eyes Canary Islands after Cape Verde refusal.
In remarks to Spanish radio station Onda Cero, he added: ‘We have no information whatsoever nor any official document from the government. Without having information, I cannot allow them to enter the Canary Islands, because we don’t know what we are dealing with.’
Posting on X, Clavijo further criticised the decision, saying: ‘Canarias always acts with responsibility, but it cannot accept decisions taken behind the backs of the Canary Islands institutions and without sufficient information to the population.’
The dispute centres on the Dutch-operated cruise ship MV Hondius, which is currently near Cape Verde off Africa’s west coast after being denied permission to dock there due to the outbreak.
Spain’s health ministry confirmed this week that the vessel would be received in the Canary Islands — likely on Tenerife — within the coming days, citing ‘international law and humanitarian principles’ following requests from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union.
Authorities in Madrid said strict health and isolation protocols would be enforced upon arrival, including medical screening, treatment and repatriation procedures for passengers and crew.
According to the WHO, seven confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus have been identified on board, including three deaths.
Meanwhile: outbreak triggers global health concern
The situation aboard the MV Hondius has prompted an international health alert, with evacuations under way and experts investigating the spread of the virus.
Three people — two crew members and one other person — thought to be infected were being evacuated from the ship off Cape Verde, WHO officials said.
The ship has been at the centre of concern since the UN health agency was informed over the weekend that three passengers had died, with hantavirus suspected as the cause. The disease is typically transmitted to humans through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva.
However, tests have identified the Andes strain of hantavirus — the only known variant capable of human-to-human transmission, though experts stress this is extremely rare and requires close contact.
‘But as we said, we want to repeat again, such transmission is very rare and only happens due to very close contact between people,’ South Africa’s health minister Aaron Motsoaledi said.
The Geneva University Hospital also confirmed the Andes strain was responsible for all three deaths.
The cruise, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, had set sail from Ushuaia, Argentina on 1 April and has been anchored off Cape Verde since Sunday.
A wider outbreak risk is being assessed after a Dutch passenger showing symptoms left the ship earlier and was flown to Johannesburg, where she later died on 26 April. Authorities are now tracing passengers from that commercial flight, which carried 82 passengers and six crew.
In Europe, Swiss authorities confirmed that another passenger had been hospitalised with hantavirus in Zurich.
Health authorities are still working to determine how the virus first appeared on the ship, with the earliest known fatal case developing symptoms on April 6.
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Fernando Clavijo, Pte. de Canarias, sobre el crucero con hantavirus que desembarcará en Tenerife: “No tenemos ningún tipo de información (…) No tenemos ninguna petición oficial ni de atraque, ni informes ni resolución de la OMS”https://t.co/fINk5aZXfZ
— La Hora de La 1 (@LaHoraTVE) May 6, 2026
#LaHora6M pic.twitter.com/wgWoERSIzG
Hoy he pedido una reunión con el presidente Sánchez ante la falta de coordinación e información sobre el crucero afectado por un brote de Hantavirus#Canarias actúa siempre con responsabilidad, pero no puede aceptar decisiones tomadas de espaldas a las instituciones canarias y… pic.twitter.com/j19XbGgn5m
— Fernando Clavijo (@FClavijoBatlle) May 6, 2026
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