British health authorities are preparing to receive about 24 passengers and crew members from the virus-affected cruise ship MV Hondius, with plans to place them in isolation and conduct medical assessments upon arrival in the United Kingdom.

According to NHS officials on Saturday, the group, comprising British nationals and two Irish citizens, will be taken to a controlled medical facility for testing and observation after disembarking from the Dutch-operated vessel. None of those expected in the UK are currently showing symptoms of hantavirus.

The MV Hondius, carrying nearly 150 people, is expected to dock in Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands early Sunday after weeks at sea following a hantavirus outbreak onboard.

Most passengers are expected to be repatriated to their respective countries through a coordinated evacuation effort.

A joint statement issued by NHS England North West, NHS Cheshire, Wirral Council, ambulance services and police authorities said the arriving passengers would remain under medical supervision for an initial 72-hour period while further isolation arrangements are reviewed.

An internal NHS communication indicated the passengers would be accommodated at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, north-west England. The facility previously housed evacuees from Wuhan, China, and passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

The outbreak aboard the vessel has already claimed three lives, including a Dutch couple and a German woman. Several other passengers reportedly fell ill from the rare virus, which is commonly linked to rodents.

The World Health Organization confirmed on Friday that six of eight suspected hantavirus cases aboard the ship had tested positive, adding that no additional suspected cases remained on the vessel.

The ship departed Cape Verde earlier in the week after three infected passengers were evacuated for treatment.

Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia Gomez said the vessel was expected to arrive in Tenerife between 0300 GMT and 0500 GMT on Sunday.

In a message to hospital staff, Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust chief executive Janelle Holmes said all returning passengers would undergo health screening before being admitted to the facility.

She noted that no symptomatic individual would be transferred to the hospital and reassured the public that infection prevention protocols would be enforced throughout the operation.

Meanwhile, Irish authorities are also said to be arranging the evacuation of two Irish nationals from the ship, according to broadcaster RTE.