Nebraska Shows Heart to 18 Americans in Hantavirus Quarantine

When 18 Americans arrived in Omaha for a month-long quarantine after hantavirus exposure on a cruise ship, they faced weeks away from home with almost nothing. What they found instead was a community determined to make them feel welcome.

The passengers from the MV Hondius landed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center's National Quarantine Unit on May 11, carrying only small plastic bags of belongings. Their luggage had to stay behind on the ship, so boxes started arriving almost immediately as they realized they'd be staying for the full 42-day incubation period.

Dr. Michael Wadman, who runs the specialized quarantine facility, says none of the passengers are showing symptoms yet. The rooms might look like a hospital, but they're equipped more like hotel suites with workout machines, small refrigerators, and high-speed internet to stay connected with loved ones back home.

But it's the Nebraska touches that are making the biggest difference. Hospital staff arranged special meals from local food trucks and deliveries of Runzas, the state's signature sandwich of meat and seasonings baked in bread. They're teaching patients about the millions of sandhill cranes that migrate through Nebraska each spring and finding creative ways to bring local culture inside quarantine walls.

Sunny's Take

Jake Rosmarin, quarantined far from his fiancée in Boston, says the staff has gone "truly, truly, truly above and beyond." Nurses and doctors who volunteer at the unit made sure his favorite Starbucks order arrived: iced horchata with oat milk and vanilla cold foam. He ordered a mattress pad, pillows, and photo tiles of himself and his fiancée to hang on the walls.

"Why am I going to harp on those negative aspects?" Rosmarin said. "The time's just gonna go by slow if I kind of harp on the negatives." Instead, he's making travel videos for his social media pages and staying connected with family and friends while the days fly by.

The hospital has more treats planned, including Omaha Steaks on Thursday. Governor Jim Pillen, who owns a hog farm, is hoping to arrange a pork tenderloin dinner too, though he jokes he'll only do it if the hospital chefs promise to cook it right.

The hantavirus typically spreads from rodent droppings and rarely passes between people, but the Andes strain detected on the cruise requires extra caution. Twelve people worldwide from the ship have fallen ill, with the latest case confirmed Friday in the Netherlands.

The passengers still have roughly a month left in quarantine, and it's unclear if the CDC will allow anyone to finish quarantine at home. For now, though, Omaha is showing them that even thousands of miles from home, they're not forgotten.