OMAHA, Neb. — Five of the 18 American cruise ship passengers who were placed under quarantine at a federal facility in Nebraska after potential exposure to hantavirus have been cleared to return home, U.S. health officials announced Monday.
The individuals, who showed no symptoms and met specific criteria for reduced-risk monitoring, will complete their 42-day observation period at home. Their departure from the University of Nebraska Medical Center comes roughly three weeks after they and 13 other passengers arrived in Omaha following a deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship in the South Atlantic.
Hantaviruses are typically transmitted through inhalation of dust contaminated with rodent droppings, but the specific strain involved in this outbreak—the Andes virus—has shown rare instances of human-to-human transmission, according to the World Health Organization. A total of 13 confirmed or probable cases, including three fatalities, have been linked to the ship. No Andes virus cases have been confirmed in the United States, and officials stress that the risk to the general public remains low.
None of the U.S. passengers have exhibited symptoms, a Nebraska Medicine spokesperson confirmed Monday. While symptoms can take up to 42 days to appear in previous outbreaks, many medical experts say most cases manifest within 21 days.
Federal officials coordinated the travel for the five departing passengers, ensuring it was not on commercial flights and that appropriate biocontainment measures were in place. State health departments will continue daily symptom monitoring, maintain 24/7 oversight, and provide guidance. Two of those returning home live outside New York City, according to city Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin.
One remaining passenger, Jake Rosmarin, wrote on his blog Sunday that he intends to stay at the Omaha unit for the final three weeks of his quarantine. He cited immediate access to medical care if needed and a desire to avoid unnecessarily exposing others. “For me personally, this experience has been incredibly traumatic,” Rosmarin wrote. “I don’t think I’ve fully processed everything yet, and right now I don’t want to leave until I know there is no risk of me getting sick or putting my family, friends, or the general public at risk.”
Rosmarin, who posts daily updates, stressed he is not judging those who chose to go home. The quarantine has not been without tension: about a week after the 18 arrived, U.S. health officials issued orders forcing two passengers who wanted to leave to remain.
For context, this isn't the first time the U.S. has used quarantine facilities for emerging disease threats. The Nebraska center has previously hosted patients during the Ebola outbreak, and debates over quarantine policies have surfaced in other contexts, such as the Trump administration's construction of a quarantine hub in Kenya during the Ebola surge. Meanwhile, the cruise industry has faced other challenges, including a major data breach affecting nearly 6 million Carnival travelers, highlighting broader vulnerabilities in travel sectors.
The doctors in Omaha had previously indicated they would work with each passenger individually to determine when it was safe to leave. The five who departed Monday met criteria for home-based monitoring, where they will remain under state health department surveillance.
