More details on how the ship will be evacuated
Mónica García, Spain’s minister of health, just gave an update here and said everybody on board remains asymptomatic.
“Despite all the opposition, we have to state that the anchoring and arrival of the ship took place with total normality,” she said.
Health checks are being done on board now by representatives from Spain, the Netherlands and the WHO.
The Spanish passengers will be the first to depart the ship. They will be put in a bus and taken to the airport. After that, a group destined for the Netherlands will be allowed off the vessel. That includes not only Dutch nationals but also passengers from Belgium, Germany and Greece along with some crew members.
Garcia said other passengers departing today include the 19 Brits, 17 Americans and four Canadians on board. The passengers returning to Australia and New Zealand will not be departing until tomorrow. The Netherlands is also sending a second plane on Monday that will act as a “sweep” flight to pick up any of the remaining passengers.
