UMVA has learned that a 47‑year‑old American woman, who may have been exposed to a deadly hantavirus aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, is now being forced to remain in a federal quarantine facility in Omaha, Nebraska.
Angela Perryman arrived at the National Quarantine Unit expecting a brief stay, but a federal order on Monday extended her confinement until May 31, totaling 21 days of isolation.
The order warns that any attempt to leave could trigger law‑enforcement action, and officials have barred her from isolating at home, keeping her in a secured facility under constant threat.
Although Perryman tested negative for hantavirus and shows no symptoms, she recalls a brief conversation with a fellow passenger who later succumbed to the disease.
Authorities argue that her departure could “constitute a probable source of infection to other people,” prompting a mandatory medical review and the right to appeal the order within 72 hours.
Determined to fight the restriction, Perryman plans to take legal action, asserting that the extended quarantine infringes on her personal freedoms.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the quarantine order was signed by the acting head of the nation’s leading disease‑control agency, invoking federal public‑health authority.
In total, 18 American passengers from the MV Hondius have been placed under observation at the Omaha facility, while seven others who left the ship early are being monitored by state and local health officials.
Health experts warn that the hantavirus incubation period can stretch up to six weeks, and symptoms can deteriorate rapidly, prompting extreme caution despite the virus’s limited person‑to‑person transmission.
At least three individuals linked to the outbreak have died, and several more have fallen ill, underscoring the seriousness of the situation.
This marks the first large‑scale quarantine order since the early days of the pandemic, when nearly 200 travelers were isolated at a military base in California.
Public‑health officials emphasize that such involuntary confinement is reserved for cases where no viable alternative exists, highlighting the gravity of the hantavirus threat aboard the cruise ship.
