Nebraska governor: Cruise ship passengers’ release from quarantine facility a ‘positive development’

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) on Tuesday welcomed the release of five hantavirus-exposed cruise ship passengers from the National Quarantine Unit (NQU) in Omaha.

“This is a positive development and the product of the ongoing partnership between the state of Nebraska, UNMC, and our federal health partners,” Pillen said in a statement, adding “those elected to go home are doing so with a lower risk profile and in close coordination with health authorities in their destination states.”

A total of 18 cruise ship passengers from the U.S. arrived in Nebraska about three weeks ago and were quarantined at the Omaha facility after an outbreak of the deadly virus occurred on the cruise ship, which was traveling in the South Atlantic Ocean.

There were 13 confirmed or probable cases of the Andes virus, which is a strain of hantavirus, linked to the ship,........

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