Three New Yorkers are among the 17 American passengers on the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship, including one from New York City, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday.
Their identities were not released, but Hochul said the other two New Yorkers on the afflicted vessel were from Orange County and Westchester County.
The Americans aboard the ill-fated vessel were brought back for further evaluation and quarantine Sunday via a government medical repatriation flight to the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Two of the Americans have tested positive for the virus, including one who is showing symptoms.
The passengers will be allowed to check themselves out of the facility and return home after they’re evaluated, but health officials said they would be required to submit to six weeks of additional screening for the virus – which has a staggering 38% death rate.
“I believe that there’s a 42-day monitoring period, and they can decide whether they want to do that in Nebraska or come back and make other accommodations,” Hochul said.
Hochul said she didn’t know if the New Yorkers from the ship would be returning to the Empire State to wait out the quarantine period.
While she downplayed the possibility for a COVID-19-like pandemic, she told reporters she was keeping a watchful eye on the situation.
“This is New York, it’s a large, densely populated state and city, and I just need to do the responsible thing and prepare,” she said.
The announcement closely follows news that a pair of New Jersey residents may have been exposed to hantavirus after coming into contact with passengers of the Dutch cruise ship while traveling abroad.
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