A passenger from ‘Hantavirus ship’ MV Hondius has shared an update (Image: Getty)
The MV Hondius, the Dutch cruise ship struck by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, has now arrived at its final port of Rotterdam to undergo a full disinfection. Only the vessel’s crew remained on board for the final leg of the voyage, as all passengers disembarked in the Canary Islands between May 10 and 11.
Among those passengers was Jake Rosmarin, a travel enthusiast who had been journeying through South America before boarding the MV Hondius in Ushuaia, Argentina, with the intention of sailing to the Netherlands.
However, all remaining passengers were asked to leave the ship in Tenerife in the Canary Islands, from where they were sent to their respective home countries to quarantine. It was at this point that Jake was returned to the United States.
Jake is one of 18 Americans currently being monitored at specialist healthcare facilities across the United States, specifically equipped to treat patients with hazardous infectious diseases. He has been documenting his experience on TikTok, sharing updates both from aboard the ship and from his quarantine room in Omaha, Nebraska.
In a recent post, Jake shared a series of photographs summarising his first week in quarantine, offering followers a glimpse inside his room and detailing how he has been occupying his time while confined to his room.
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“Week 1 in quarantine. I just made it through my first week of quarantine here at the National Quarantine Unit at University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, and for the first time in a while I can honestly say I feel at peace with my situation,” Jake wrote in the caption of his post.
He posted pictures of his room, which resembles a contemporary hotel room, boasting an ensuite bathroom, a double bed, a coffee maker, and an exercise bike — something Jake has made good use of, given his limited space to move about.
“I’ve done a lot of reflecting over these last two weeks,” Jake said, revealing he has been attempting to come to terms with everything he had endured, from being stranded aboard the infected vessel to his current stay at the quarantine centre.
“It’s honestly crazy to look back and see how far I’ve come in just a week,” he added. “This photo series really captures that for me. From where I am now with my almost fully set up room complete with my tea and coffee corner, new bedding, pillows, blankets, photos on the walls, and all the little comforts that have helped make this place feel more like home…”
He also revealed he’d embraced the ‘small joys’ surrounding him, such as having the exercise bike brought to his room, ordering takeaways from Starbucks, and accepting parcels and gifts from friends and relatives. Upon entering his room, he was also delighted to discover two welcome messages from staff, who greeted him warmly and expressed their wish to make his stay as pleasant as possible.
Jake has previously also shared footage of him requesting his meals, as he gets to select what dishes he has for breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day from an extensive menu of options.
The final images also showed Jake aboard the cargo aircraft he was placed on to transport him from the Canary Islands to the United States, as he described it feeling like a surreal experience.
“Boarding a plane that honestly felt like something straight out of a movie. It all somehow already feels like a lifetime ago,” he said.
He proceeded to express gratitude to his friends and family, alongside the healthcare workers and people online for making his experience more tolerable, stating he’s endured a range of emotions over the past week.
“It’s because of all of you that I’ve been able to stay positive through something that at first felt impossible,” he said.
Jake has not displayed any symptoms of Hantavirus, but is anticipated to remain in quarantine 42 days in total.
