RAMY INOCENCIO:
00:01:15
--and that no one here can stop what's coming. The hantavirus hit MV Hondius,sailing straight toward their home. As the Hondiussails nearer and nearer, protests like this are popping up across the island. Residents here say they do not want any of those passengers on their land. But Spain's government has final say over these islands and perhaps here are well underway. The crisis began here, the remote island of St. Helena, where 30 passengers, says parent company Oceanwide Expeditions ended the cruise early after the death of a passenger. The only known commercial flight out, once a week to Johannesburg, South Africa, connecting to nearly 100 destinations around the world. Now, at least 12 countries are racing to track down anyone who may have been in close contact with them. For the passengers still stuck on the Hondius,approaching land means one step closer to home. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] Like for YouTuber Qasim Ibn [INAUDIBLE]. He sent CBS News a message overnight, saying that everyone is in high spirits and smiling, but also wearing masks and social distancing. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
RAMY INOCENCIO:
00:02:25
"Most people on board are reacting very calmly," he said, "and no one currently has any hantavirus-related symptoms." He hopes it stays that way. The 17 American passengers will be first to be evacuated from the ship, flown here to Nebraska's National Quarantine Unit for observation. The total incubation time for hantavirus is up to eight weeks. And we have to remember that hantavirus is very different from COVID and much harder to transmit. I asked one WHO official if this could ever become a pandemic-level threat, and she simply told me it is not. Tony. That's good news. Ramy, thank you very much.
