He MV Hondius cruise ship moves away from the Tenerife coast after a few days of maximum tension for . With only the crew plus a doctor on board the port of Rotterdam (Netherlands) and with the rest of the passengers already evacuated towards their countries of origin to undergo quarantine, the time has come for the primer balance.
The emergency has not yet passedas the authorities remember, but there are already those who give note to the initial management… and this time disembarkation and transfer of the passengers. Among them, the 14 Spaniards taken to the Gómez Ulla Hospital in Madrid, where this Sunday they began the isolation quarantine already waiting for the results of his tests.
Unlike what happens in terms of national politics, the international response has been practically unanimous, in the form of recognition for “solidary” and “efficient” management of the health emergency, especially when other countries refused to offer support to affected passengers. Behind closed doors, the panorama is different; Both the Government of the Canary Islands and the opposition to the central Executive have accused Pedro Sánchez, Mónica García and other ministers of “lack of coordination” between administrations.
From the PP headquarters, Borja Sémper has reproached “what we consider a absolute lack of coordination between administrations or a clearly improved coordination“. For the national spokesperson of the PP, the demand for “information and coordination” by the Canarian president, Fernando Clavijo, who has been very critical of Moncloa’s actions since it was decreed that the Canary Islands host the cruise ship, is “very reasonable.”
“We must remember at the beginning how this crisis was addressed with contradictory information within and within the Government itself,” he added, to point out that what the PP found “worst” about the management was “the feeling of lack of coordination” and “that not even the Government itself could agree in the initial hours.”
Immediately, Ferraz gave his own version, boasting that “Spain has once again given a lesson to the world and the Popular Party“. For the spokesperson of the PSOE, Montse Mínguez, in the face of the “responsible” action of the government, they have found “the usual things from the PP: intoxicating, hindering […] feed the hoaxes”.
Polarization collides with the practical unanimity received in the judgment of the main world institutions. This has been conveyed by the director general of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. After sharing a video of the operation in Tenerife, he congratulated “the entire Government” and the rest of the administrations “for their leadership and technical excellence demonstrated throughout this operation”.
His enthusiasm has increased. In a press conference shared with Mónica García, Fernando Grande-Marlaska and other senior officials, Adhanom applauded with a certain joking tone that Spain has done it “well” and “with a lot of style”.
In his brief intervention he did highlight that “it was necessary” to remove those infected with hantavirus and suspected patients to avoid a worsening of their conditions. “The option of leaving them on the boat was never considered.“, he explained during question time, after insisting that “this is the time for solidarity”, an issue for which he thanked Spain for “accepting the ship” last week.
The relevance of the operation has been such that this Monday afternoon Moncloa announced a meeting between Pedro Sánchez and the head of the WHOwith a subsequent joint appearance to assess the Spanish and international response to the hantavirus crisis.
In terms similar to those of Dr. Tedros Adhanom, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterreshas joined the support and recognition for the work of the Government of Spain and other entities in the hantavirus crisis. The Portuguese president added in the same message the request that, once the first and most tense phase has been overcome, “that international efforts in health matters guarantee the safety of all.”
The EU shares a unified message among its key leaders. Thus, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyenhas highlighted the work “side by side” between the health organizations of the EU and Spain, with a message of “gratitude to the Spanish government and all the authorities involved on the ground.”
The president of the European Council, Antonio Costahas praised the “excellent example of multilateral cooperation“led by Spain, together with the WHO, the ECDC and other international health organizations. “Congratulations on the rapid and efficient landing operations in Tenerife, and thanks to the Spanish authorities and all the teams for their dedication,” Costa added on his networks.
Recognition becomes gratitude in the Dutch case. The Prime Minister of the Netherlands applauded the Spanish management “for having made possible” the safe arrival and treatment of the passengers of the Dutch-flagged cruise ship. Rob Jetten He added the recognition of his entire team “for the good and constructive collaboration between our two countries in recent days.”
