French Health Minister Stephanie Rist said Thursday that 26 people in France identified as close contacts of hantavirus cases linked to the cruise ship MV Hondius had tested negative for the disease.

“As of today, all close contacts of a person who tested positive for hantavirus, present in France, have tested negative, without exception,” Rist said in a post on X.

Twenty-six people remain in hospital isolation in France as a precaution, including 22 identified as close contacts of a Dutch passenger who later died after falling ill.

Dutch Authorities Also Report Negative Tests

Dutch authorities said all passengers who arrived in the Netherlands on evacuation flights from the ship earlier this week had also tested negative.

The Dutch woman at the center of the alert had been removed from a flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam before later dying in a hospital in South Africa. Twenty-two of the people under monitoring in France had been aboard flights between Saint Helena, Johannesburg and Amsterdam linked to the passenger’s travel route.

One French Passenger in Serious Condition

French doctors are also monitoring four additional passengers from the ship, while a fifth French national tested positive for hantavirus and remains in serious condition in a French hospital.

Rist said the 26 close contacts would continue to undergo testing three times a week as a precaution.

International Monitoring Continues

According to official figures, three people linked to the MV Hondius outbreak have died globally, while six confirmed hantavirus cases and one probable case have been reported.

One U.S. passenger reportedly showed symptoms but later tested negative. Health authorities have said the risk to the wider public remains low.

EU Moves to Strengthen Coordination

The European Union said it would strengthen information-sharing among its 27 member states to improve monitoring and response to hantavirus cases.

France earlier this week called for closer coordination of European health protocols amid concerns over cross-border exposure linked to the cruise ship.