Rabid protesters blasted the upcoming arrival of the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship in the Canary Islands — fearing a repeat of the deadly COVID-19 outbreak that decimated tourism on the island nation.
Dozens of Tenerife islanders and dock workers marched to the island’s parliament building Friday morning chanting “We want work, not illness,” The US Sun reported, while accusing local officials of putting them at risk of the fatal rodent-borne virus ahead of the ship’s Sunday morning arrival.
Protestors carried whistles and air horns and showcased signs reading “Without protocol, no safety” and “Tenerife deserves respect! We are not second class!”
Around 30 dock workers joined the mini uprising after being summoned by their union, the Platform for the Port of Tenerife, which has threatened to block the ship from docking in the Canary Islands without safety guarantees in place, according to El Mundo.
The infamous MV Hondius cruise ship — and its 147 passengers who have been potentially exposed to the rare virus — are expected to arrive in Tenerife’s Port of Granadilla after being marooned off the coast of Cape Verde for a week.
“We are angry. I’m not sure that Tenerife is the right option,” furious resident Jonathan Rodriguez, 31, slammed.
“We don’t think the safety of the personnel is being taken into consideration.”
Once the ship docks, the passengers will be transported on small boats to the island, where they will be taken “directly to the airport tarmac,” according to Spain’s head of emergency services Virginia Barcones, Sky News reported.
Passengers showing symptoms will be escorted on medical planes, while the asymptomatic ones will board separate flights absent other passengers.
Barcones insisted the cruise’s passengers will have “no contact” with locals.
Rodriguez said anytime something is needed on the island, it takes months to be granted — and he fears the decision to dock in Tenerife was made in a matter of days.
Locals fear their health care infrastructure can’t cope with another outbreak — with the island’s population growing by nearly a million people since the pandemic while still only having 24 intensive care unit beds.
The Canary Islands were one of the first places in Europe to undergo quarantines during the early days of the pandemic, which had a devastating impact on tourism, the island’s main source of income, according to The Independent.
“I thought, ‘Why us?’ This is bringing back flashbacks of the Covid-19 pandemic. We had a terrible time in the hospital then,” David Hernandez told the outlet.
I don’t think we can cope,” the 29-year-old said.
Local Luz Padilla, 61, stressed Tenerife is not equipped to deal with another virus plague.
“We’ve no way to stop it, something like Covid or another danger,” said Padilla. “We’re worried, We’ve not got a good hospital.”
Three people have died and eight others have fallen ill from the rare and extremely deadly strain of the hantavirus.
Investigators believe it was brought on board the cruise ship by a Dutch couple who later died from the virus.
