Spanish island braces for hantavirus cruise ship as WHO urges calm amid protests

TENERIFE, Spain — The head of the World Health Organization on Saturday made an appeal to locals in Tenerife to remain calm as the Spanish island prepared to receive passengers from a hantavirus-hit cruise ship that has left three people dead and sparked growing local outrage

TENERIFE, Spain — The head of the World Health Organization on Saturday made an appeal to locals in Tenerife to remain calm as the Spanish island prepared to receive passengers from a hantavirus-hit cruise ship that has left three people dead and sparked growing local outrage.

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Residents have taken to the streets in recent days to protest the impending arrival of the MV Hondius to the Canary Islands, after the Spanish government overruled local leaders to grant permission for the ship to anchor offshore Sunday. Many on the tourism-reliant island worry that even a carefully coordinated disembarkation could harm the region’s image and economy.

Protests continued on Friday, with local residents chanting, “Yes to tourism, no to the virus.”