UK to isolate cruise ship passengers in ex-Covid hospital: NHS officials

UK health authorities have confirmed that British passengers returning from a virus-hit cruise ship will be placed in isolation at a former COVID-19 hospital, according to NHS officials.

The group—around two dozen UK nationals from the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius—will be flown back after the vessel anchors off Spain’s Canary Islands, with strict quarantine measures in place on arrival in Britain.

Officials say the passengers will be taken directly to Arrowe Park Hospital, which was previously used as a quarantine facility during the early COVID-19 response. They will undergo initial medical screening and be monitored in controlled isolation.

Authorities stressed that none of the returning passengers are currently showing symptoms, and that the public health risk remains low, but the measures are precautionary due to the nature of the outbreak aboard the ship.