The investigation focuses on a woman who was on the plane that the patient who died in South Africa was scheduled to board. The latter had contracted the virus during a cruise. Additionally, another person who shared the same flight, stayed a week in Barcelona, and later returned to their country of origin, South Africa, has been identified, though it is not yet known if they have presented symptoms.

The situation has activated the health and repatriation protocol. The 14 Spanish passengers still on the cruise have not refused to comply with a voluntary quarantine, a measure proposed to reduce the risk of the outbreak spreading.

A team from the Ministry of Health will travel this Saturday to Tenerife, where the MV Hondius is expected to anchor on Sunday. Once there, passengers will disembark by boat, and the Spanish nationals will subsequently be transferred to Madrid on a military plane.

Spain is working with 22 countries to organize the return of the remaining travelers, numbering over a hundred. According to data from the World Health Organization, the provisional balance is five confirmed infections and three suspected cases.