Andalucia president Juanma Moreno has said the region is ‘ready to help’ with the hantavirus cruise ship crisis while sharply criticising Madrid’s handling of the incident.
Speaking at a Forum Europa event in Sevilla on Thursday, Moreno said the national government gives him ‘very little confidence’ in its management of the situation surrounding the cruise ship MV Hondius.
The vessel is currently heading towards Tenerife after multiple confirmed and suspected hantavirus cases were detected among passengers and crew.
Moreno openly backed the frustration expressed by Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo, who has repeatedly criticised Madrid for agreeing to assist the ship despite opposition from regional authorities.
‘The minimum the Government of Spain should do is contact the autonomous government and make decisions jointly, in a coordinated and collaborative way,’ Moreno said.
He suggested that coordination had failed in this case.
The Andalucian leader accused the central government of leaving the Canary Islands administration in a position of ‘uncertainty’ and ‘a certain abandonment’ by allegedly failing to properly share information about the operation.
Moreno argued that Clavijo is trying to protect the interests of the Canary Islands, particularly given the risk of ‘strong social alarm’ in a tourism-dependent region.
The comments mark the latest escalation in the political row over the handling of the outbreak, which has already involved the World Health Organisation, several European governments and multiple international health agencies.
Despite his criticism, Moreno stressed that Andalucía is prepared to assist if needed.
He said the region has specialised epidemiological units capable of helping manage situations of this kind and insisted his government remains available to collaborate with health authorities.
‘At the moment there is no indication of any Andalucian passengers affected, nor that the ship will stop in Andalucia,’ he said.
‘But we are waiting to see what happens and what decisions are taken.’
Moreno also used the controversy to attack the structure of Pedro Sanchez’s coalition government, describing it as ‘two governments’ in reference to the PSOE-Sumar alliance.
According to the Andalusian president, the situation appears marked by ‘improvisation’, which he said further undermines confidence in Madrid’s management of the crisis.
