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Federal officials say Americans coming to Nebraska after possible exposure to hantavirus aboard a cruise ship will not be required to quarantine once they arrive in the United States.A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official told ABC News Saturday that none of the 17 Americans aboard the ship have tested positive for the virus, and federal officials currently do not plan to mandate quarantine when they arrive in Nebraska. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Nebraska Medicine will quarantine American citizens on cruise ship impacted by hantavirus outbreakInstead, officials say passengers will receive health evaluations once they arrive in the U.S. and may either stay temporarily at Nebraska’s National Quarantine Unit or return home and monitor for symptoms for 42 days while remaining in contact with local health departments. Officials also said testing is not recommended for passengers without symptoms. The Americans are expected to leave the cruise ship once it reaches the Canary Islands Sunday before being flown back to the United States. Federal officials have said the passengers are expected to arrive at Offutt Air Force Base before heading to Omaha for evaluation and monitoring. READ MORE: CDC teams will meet Americans on hantavirus-stricken ship at Nebraska quarantine unit and in Canary IslandsDuring a Friday news conference, leaders with Nebraska Medicine and UNMC stressed the passengers are not currently sick and said the National Quarantine Unit was specifically designed to safely monitor people exposed to infectious diseases while protecting the public. Officials said the facility has 20 individual rooms and trained volunteer staff prepared to respond if needed.Get the Facts: Will the hantavirus impact Nebraskans?Doctors also emphasized that the hantavirus strain involved in the outbreak is very different from COVID-19 and is not known to spread easily between people. Officials said the risk to the public remains low.Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
Federal officials say Americans coming to Nebraska after possible exposure to hantavirus aboard a cruise ship will not be required to quarantine once they arrive in the United States.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official told ABC News Saturday that none of the 17 Americans aboard the ship have tested positive for the virus, and federal officials currently do not plan to mandate quarantine when they arrive in Nebraska.
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Nebraska Medicine will quarantine American citizens on cruise ship impacted by hantavirus outbreak
Instead, officials say passengers will receive health evaluations once they arrive in the U.S. and may either stay temporarily at Nebraska’s National Quarantine Unit or return home and monitor for symptoms for 42 days while remaining in contact with local health departments.
Officials also said testing is not recommended for passengers without symptoms.
The Americans are expected to leave the cruise ship once it reaches the Canary Islands Sunday before being flown back to the United States. Federal officials have said the passengers are expected to arrive at Offutt Air Force Base before heading to Omaha for evaluation and monitoring.
During a Friday news conference, leaders with Nebraska Medicine and UNMC stressed the passengers are not currently sick and said the National Quarantine Unit was specifically designed to safely monitor people exposed to infectious diseases while protecting the public. Officials said the facility has 20 individual rooms and trained volunteer staff prepared to respond if needed.
Get the Facts: Will the hantavirus impact Nebraskans?
Doctors also emphasized that the hantavirus strain involved in the outbreak is very different from COVID-19 and is not known to spread easily between people. Officials said the risk to the public remains low.
Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
