Americans exposed to hantavirus on ship enjoy some Nebraska hospitality while waiting in quarantine

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The 18 American passengers who were exposed to hantavirus on the MV Hondius cruise ship are getting a taste of Nebraska hospitality as they wait to find out how much longer they will have to remain in quarantine at the hospital in Omaha.

Elsewhere, a 12th illness linked to the ship was confirmed Friday in the Netherlands as health officials continue to monitor hundreds of people who were potentially exposed.

The doctor who runs the National Quarantine Unit where the American passengers are being monitored said at a news conference Friday that none of them are showing any symptoms at this point, but Dr. Michael Wadman referred questions to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about whether these 18 people will have to remain at the specialized facility at the University of Nebraska Medical Center for the full 42-day quarantine period.

The CDC didn’t respond Friday to questions about the plan for these passengers staying in what resemble hotel rooms, complete with their own workout machines and a small refrigerator. The rooms are equipped with specialized negative-pressure ventilation and waste sterilization systems to keep germs from escaping.

Hantavirus usually spreads from rodent droppings and is not easily transmitted between people. But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure. Health officials recommended the long quarantine because of the incubation period for the virus.

Passengers arrived with few belongings

Wadman said that once the passengers realized how long they were going to be staying in quarantine, they started ordering things they needed because health officials let them bring only a small plastic sack of belongings with them when they left the MV Hondius. They had to leave their luggage behind, so a steady stream of boxes started arriving at the quarantine unit after the passengers began arriving in Omaha on May 11.

In between the symptom checks twice a day, the staff at the nation’s only dedicated quarantine unit are doing their best to help the passengers pass the time with special meals featuring local food trucks and distinctive Nebraska delicacies like Runzas along with lessons on the sandhill cranes migration that brings millions of the majestic birds to the state every spring and other subjects.

The rooms also have high-speed internet connections to help the passengers connect virtually with family and friends. Jake Rosmarin said it can be lonely at times being so far away from his fiance back in Boston, but the days have mostly been flying by as he calls family and friends and makes videos for his Facebook and Instagram pages where he normally posts travel videos. Rosmarin tries to think positive and not dwell on the fact that he still faces almost another month in quarantine.

“Why am I going to harp on those negative aspects? The time’s just gonna go by slow if I kind of harp on the negatives,” he said.

Hospital staff works to make passengers comfortable

Rosmarin said he really appreciates everything the nurses and doctors from the medical center and adjoining Nebraska Medicine hospital, who volunteer to work at the quarantine unit, have done for him and the other passengers, beginning with the deliveries of his favorite Starbucks iced horchata with oat milk and vanilla cold foam.

“They’ve just been amazing. Truly. Truly, truly, truly. I think they’ve gone above and beyond with making sure that we’re comfortable here,” said Rosmarin, who ordered himself a new mattress pad and pillows along with a set of Mixtiles photos of himself and his fiance to hang on the wall to help make the room homier.

Rosmarin and a few other passengers unexpectedly got a chance to leave their rooms for a few minutes Sunday evening when Omaha was under a tornado warning, but they all wore masks and kept their distance while the medical staff had on full protective suits.

The hospital is planning to give the passengers a taste of Runza on Tuesday and a meal from Omaha Steaks on Thursday of next week. Rosmarin said he ordered a barbecue bacon Runza, which is a mix of meat, seasonings and sauce baked inside bread. The fast food chain that’s known for the sandwiches is almost exclusively in the state, but elsewhere in the country the same meal might be called a bierock.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, who owns a massive hog farm, said at Friday’s news conference that he’s hoping to arrange a pork tenderloin dinner as well, if he can be sure the hospital chefs will cook it correctly.

Quarantine will likely last roughly another month

Wadman said the passengers who remain in Omaha have all been cooperative despite the fact that the CDC issued a formal order earlier this week to prevent two of them from leaving the quarantine unit.

“I think there’s many that would really like to be home,” Wadman said, but it’s not yet clear that the CDC will allow that before the 42 days are up. Each case will be evaluated individually.

Twelve people worldwide who were aboard the MV Hondius have fallen ill, including one of the crew members that was just confirmed Friday in the Netherlands. Three people from the cruise died, including a Dutch couple that health officials believe were the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America. No deaths have been reported since May 2, according to World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“We continue to urge affected countries to monitor all passengers and crew carefully for the remainder of the quarantine period. More than 600 contacts continue to be followed in 30 countries, and a small number of high risk contacts are still being located,” he said.

University of Nebraska President Jeffrey Gold said the new cases will definitely be considered as public health officials decide how long the passengers have to quarantine, but the CDC is calling the shots on that period.

“Any case, any symptoms, any positive test anywhere gives us more information about the biology of this viral illness. And it as any good scientific approach would be, it influences our decision making,” Gold said.