Health Officials Urge Calm Amid Orange County Hantavirus Concerns

By Y.M. Lowy

An Orange County resident is among three New Yorkers now being monitored following possible exposure connected to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak.

One of the passengers is from New York City, while the other two are from Orange County and Westchester County. All three were aboard the cruise ship tied to the hantavirus outbreak that has already resulted in three deaths.

The passengers arrived to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. The individuals are expected to remain under a 42-day monitoring period while health agencies continue evaluating the situation.

Despite growing concern online, Hochul emphasized that hantavirus spreads very differently from COVID-19 and said there is currently “no panic, no concern.”

Health officials continue stressing that the risk to the general public remains low. Unlike COVID, hantavirus is not known to spread easily from person to person in normal everyday settings, which experts say is one of the main reasons officials are not treating this as a widespread public threat.

The latest developments come after New Jersey officials also confirmed they are monitoring two residents who may have been exposed during international air travel with a passenger connected to the cruise ship. Those individuals were not aboard the ship itself.

Federal health officials continue coordinating with state agencies as monitoring efforts remain underway.