March 20: 149 people board the ship in Ushuaia, Argentina. Twenty-eight different nationalities, including a Swedish man, are among the passengers and crew.
April 6: A 70-year-old man from the Netherlands falls ill with fever, headache, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Five days later, he dies at sea.
April 24: The ship reaches St. Helena, where the deceased man is brought ashore, escorted by his wife. About 30 other people also leave the ship and travel home – among them the Swedish man.
April 25: The Dutch widow flies to South Africa to return home to the Netherlands, but falls ill. She dies in a Johannesburg hospital the following day.
April 27: A Briton who remained on board and fell ill with a fever on April 24 deteriorates and is flown by helicopter to South Africa, where he is admitted to intensive care. He is later confirmed to have contracted the virus.
April 28: A German woman falls ill on the ship; she dies four days later on the high seas.
May 3: Hondius reaches the waters around Cape Verde, its intended final destination. But the passengers are not allowed to disembark because three people on board have been in close contact with the deceased German. At the same time, hantavirus is detected in two cases and the conclusion is drawn that there is an outbreak.
May 6: A former passenger has contracted hantavirus and is being treated in Zurich. In South Africa, authorities confirm that tests have detected Andes virus, the most dangerous variant of hantavirus and the only one believed to be able to transmit between humans.
May 7: People who have had contact with the German who died on board are evacuated to the Netherlands. WHO states that no one on the ship has symptoms of infection and that the cabins are being disinfected. If anyone shows signs of symptoms, they will be isolated.
May 8: Hondius travels to the Canary Island of Tenerife, where passengers and crew will be taken ashore by smaller boats.
May 9: Everyone on board Hondius is considered a "high-risk contact" and must be monitored, the World Health Organization (WHO) announces. The man from Sweden is being followed up by regional infection-control authorities.
May 10: Hondius arrives at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife. Of the approximately 150 people on board, most will be evacuated. Some crew will remain on the ship to travel on to their home port in the Netherlands. The evacuation is expected to last two days. The passengers will be flown home under close supervision.
