THE HAGUE, May 10 (Xinhua) -- An airplane carrying passengers and part of the crew from the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, where the Andes virus was detected, arrived at Eindhoven Air Base in the Netherlands on Sunday evening, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) confirmed.

The group will be closely monitored and provided with appropriate medical care if needed, as they begin a six-week quarantine period, said the RIVM.

"All repatriated passengers will undergo thorough medical screening. A sample will be taken from everyone at the airport for laboratory testing," RIVM said in a statement on Sunday.

RIVM said the Dutch passengers will be transported directly to their home addresses in specially arranged vans, where they will complete the quarantine period in self-isolation. The quarantine period lasts 42 days and began on May 6, when the patients infected with the Andes virus disembarked from the vessel. During quarantine, passengers must remain at home. They may take short walks outside, provided they maintain at least 1.5 meters distance from others and wear a face mask.

RIVM added that a quarantine hotel has been arranged for crew members and foreign passengers who cannot immediately return home.

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced earlier Sunday that 26 people were on board the flight, including all eight Dutch nationals and 18 foreign nationals who are from 10 other countries.

Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported that Germany has dispatched a team of firefighters to transport four German nationals in a specially equipped infectious disease ambulance. Two Belgian passengers are being picked up in Eindhoven by a Belgian Defence ambulance and will undergo medical examinations at a hospital in Antwerp before entering home quarantine.

RIVM emphasized that the risk of the Andes virus spreading is significantly lower than that of coronavirus. "Outbreaks are rare worldwide and are generally limited to small groups of people who have had close contact with an infected person." RIVM said.

Meanwhile, the Dutch cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions said in a statement on Sunday that after all guests and a limited number of crew members disembarked, the vessel would refuel and take on supplies in Santa Cruz, Tenerife. ■