A group of six individuals, comprising four Australian citizens, one permanent resident, and one New Zealander, were among the final passengers to be repatriated from the MV Hondius.
Their flight departed from the Netherlands yesterday and is expected to arrive at an RAAF base in Perth around 1 p.m. AEST (11 a.m. AWST).
Upon arrival, the group will be transported to the Centre for National Resilience in Bullsbrook, located in northern Perth, where they will enter a three-week quarantine period.
During this time, they will undergo comprehensive medical evaluations, including blood tests, which will be sent to Melbourne for analysis.
The test results are anticipated to be available within a day.
Prior to their departure from the Netherlands, all members of the group tested negative for Hantavirus and are currently in good health.
Of the five passengers who live in Australia, three are residents of NSW, and two of Queensland.
So far, there have been 11 confirmed cases of hantavirus among the passengers or crew members on the MV Hondius cruise ship.
Three people have died after contracting the deadly, rat-borne illness.
It was the first-ever case of a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, according to Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness.
Health Minister Mark Butler previously said the government was taking a precautionary approach, emphasising that human-to-human transmission of the virus was extremely rare.
NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.
