US Passengers Describe Their Days in Hantavirus Quarantine

They signed up for a rare and expensive birding cruise; they say they ended up in a de facto jail run by the US government. Eighteen Americans evacuated from the MV Hondius amid a deadly Andes hantavirus outbreak were flown to a federal quarantine unit in Omaha on May 11, and told to expect a brief evaluation before finishing isolation at home, reports the New York Times. None tested positive. Days later, a CDC doctor informed them they'd be held at least two more weeks—and, for some, ultimately as long as 42 days—under orders signed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has campaigned against strict COVID-era measures.

Passengers describe harshly lit rooms, limited outdoor access, bungled meals, and growing psychological strain; one man threatened suicide when New York initially refused to accept his return home under CDC conditions. "This is a civil liberties violation," he tells the Times. Some echoed the sentiment and likened the facility to a "prison," especially after Kennedy overruled CDC medical advice to keep Florida resident Angela Perryman in Omaha instead of allowing monitored home quarantine. After a trickle of releases, the final eight passengers were allowed to leave on June 21, notes the AP. Federal officials say the strict approach worked: the US recorded no hantavirus cases or community spread.