Updated May 7, 2026 @ 1:33pm
Three Canadians with connections to a deadly hantavirus-stricken cruise are self-isolating at home in Ontario and Quebec, the federal government says.
Two Canadians disembarked the ship on the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena almost two weeks ago and were on the same flight as a third Canadian who was not on the vessel.
Anita Anand, the foreign affairs minister, says the third Canadian "may have come into contact with a symptomatic individual" and is among those being monitored by local authorities.
Two individuals are in Ontario and one is in Quebec.
All three are asymptomatic and have been self-isolating, the foreign minister says in a statement posted online.
Anand says Ottawa is sending consular officials to support Canadians on the cruise ship where the hantavirus outbreak has led to three deaths.
The passengers are anticipated to disembark the ship on Granadilla, Tenerife early Sunday, but the cruise operator says that may change.
Anand and Health Minister Marjorie Michel would not take questions from reporters but said a team is working across departments and that public-health protocols will be followed.
Earlier on Thursday, Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones said two residents have been isolating since they returned home and it is believed that they are not a transmission risk.
"But it is fluid and we'll continue to have those monitoring situations," Jones said at a press conference.
Jones said public health officials are monitoring the passengers on a daily basis to make sure that the they are isolating.
She said the province is preparing to see if there are any other individuals who need to return to Canada and Ontario, and that they are working with federal partners to make sure there is a consistent approach.
She says the incubation and monitoring period will likely be around 30 days.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2026.
-With files from Dylan Robertson in Ottawa
