End of Hantavirus celebration party
Report and photos from Administrator Philip Kendall.
Last night - Saturday 20th June 2026 - Louise and I hosted a community party celebrating the end of the hantavirus crisis on Tristan.
The evening began with a sobering speech by me, which was quite emotional to give. (See text below). I hadn’t realised how much emotion had built up over the last couple of months until my voice cracked in the opening paragraph. The community has really pulled together through this difficult period and Saturday night was a chance to let off steam and enjoy ourselves.
Philip Kendall giving his speech of appreciation to everyone's role in containing the hantavirus outbreak.
Photo: Louise Kendall
Philip Kendall's Speech
"Today is a moment to celebrate. We have come through a difficult time, and we can finally begin to look ahead with confidence and hope.
But before we do, it is right that we pause.
Hantavirus was a serious and dangerous disease. It took three lives from the Hondius, and it came very close to claiming one of our own. We remember those we lost, and we hold their families and friends in our thoughts today.
What we have come through was not easy. But we did come through it — and that is thanks to an extraordinary collective effort.
Our medical team showed exceptional skill, resilience and commitment in the face of a completely new challenge. They were supported by the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, and more recently by medics who are here tonight from the UK and the Falklands. Together, they brought expertise, calm judgement and determination when it mattered most.
But this was not just about professional response — it was about community.
Once again, Tristan showed its strength.
From the RIB crews, waiting to catch parachutes or to take people off HMS Medway as it refused to stay still… to those who headed out in the fading light to recover equipment from the patches… to the hosts who opened their homes at short notice… to all those who isolated to protect us all, and to every single person across the island who played their part.
Everyone contributed. Everyone made a difference.
That is what carried us through.
So today, we celebrate not just the end of Hantavirus on Tristan, but the spirit of this community — its resilience, its generosity, and its quiet determination.
Thank you all!"
The Dancing
The visiting medics delighted us all with a Ceilidh giving some of the younger islanders their first taste of Scottish dancing. We returned the favour with the Pillow Dance and the Chair Dance,* and then all kinds of dancing into the early hours.
"Strip the Willow" ceilidh dance. Half the fun is getting is wrong...
...The other half is getting it right! Video & photo: Odile Cesari
The perennially popular Pillow Dance
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| The Chair Dance.* Cynthia waiting to be brought a new partner. Will she or won't she accept him? | A quick dance around before the next change of partner in the Chair Dance. |
Vera brings Anne to be Jack's next potential partner in the Chair Dance. Everyone's wondering what he'll do.
The dancing continued into the wee small hours.
Although we will never be able to forget the events of the last couple of months, last night drew a line enabling us to get back to our daily Tristan lives.
* About the Chair Dance
In Tristan's traditional Chair Dance, a chair is placed in the middle of the hall and the first couple dances round. One partner is sat in the chair while the other partner finds them someone new to dance with. If the seated dancer likes the new partner, they will get and dance round, and then the new partner takes their place on the chair. However, if the seated dancer doesn't like the offered new partner, they will pick up the chair to face the other way. The new partner may have another try, but they may have to give up and let another person be brought on. The fun is in guessing what will happen.
End of Hantavirus on Tristan da Cunha
Report and photograph from Tristan Administrator Philip Kendall
Wednesday 17th June 2026 was a big day for Tristan. Following precautions to prevent the community contracting Hantavirus, our final isolated group of people, the medical team, were given their freedom.
Administrator Philip Kendall with UK-MED, Iqarus and Falkland Island medics,
Dr Alex Wonner and his team outside Camogli Healthcare Centre on 17th June 2026.
Left to right are, Jordan Mettner (Falklands), Trisha McCready (UK-MED), Ross Moy (Iqarus),
Paul Anderson (UK-MED), Philip Kendall, Spurs Henry (Falklands), Claire Vincent (UK-MED),
Head of Camogli Healthcare Centre Vera Glass, Carol Swain, Dr Alex Wonner, Dr Silvio Morales, Anél De Waal.
It's hard to describe the feeling of relief for all concerned. Today I went to the Healthcare Centre to greet the doctors and to join the handover from the UK-MED, Iqarus and Falkland Island medics, back to Dr Alex and his team. Hantavirus is officially behind us!
The visiting medics plan to return to Cape Town aboard MFV Edinburgh in early July.
We are planning a big community event in the Prince Philip Hall on Saturday 20th June to thank the visiting medics and everyone for helping us get through this terrible situation.
Joy as Tristanians arrive in Weymouth
Report and photo from Chris Carnegy
The four Tristan islanders who found themselves unexpectedly at the centre of the Hantavirus incident arrived in Weymouth on 4th June 2026, to begin a return to normal life.
Chris Carnegy in Weymouth with islanders Linda Green, and Katie, Geraldine & Paul Repetto.
Geraldine, Paul and Katie Repetto, and Linda Green, had been airlifted from St Helena to quarantine near Liverpool, but none showed any signs of the disease.
I collected them from Arrowe Park Hospital and together we drove to Weymouth on England's south coast, a place that has happy memories for Paul and Geraldine.
All four islanders were pleased to resume normal life,. On arrival we were pictured with Weymouth's yachting marina as the backdrop.
Hantavirus Isolation Update, 3rd June 2026 |
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| A public notice issued on the 3rd June 2026 details the isolation periods for people who were exposed to hantavirus cases. 6-Jun-2026 |
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Paratroopers' activities on Tristan while awaiting extraction |
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| The paratroopers dropped onto Tristan on the 9th May 2026 took part in community activities while waiting for HMS Medway to come and pick them up. 28-May-2026 |
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HMS Medway Departs after Successfully Exchanging Personnel |
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| Conditions improved enough on the 24th May 2026 for HMS Medway to embark returning paratroopers and disembark relief medics. 24-May-2026 |
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Hantavirus - The Next Steps, 23rd May 2026 |
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| HMS Medway arrived on the 22nd May 2026 to replace the military personnel who arrived by parachute on the 9th May with a civilian team. 23-May-2026 |
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Details of the Daring Airdrop at Tristan da Cunha, 9th May 2026 |
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| More details and pictures have come in of the intrepid airdrop of urgent medical support sent to Tristan by the UK Government on the 9th May 2026. 12-May-2026 |
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First Ever Emergency Airdrop onto Tristan |
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| The first ever emergency airdrop of medical supplies and personnel onto Tristan took place on the 9th May 2026 as part of the UK Government's response to the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak. 9-May-2026 |
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- Public Notices Regarding the MV Hondius Hantavirus, 6th May 2026 (7-May-2026) >>
- Suspected Hantavirus on the Cruise Ship MV Hondius (4-May-2026) >>
- Special Visit by the SA Agulhas II (23-Feb-2026) >>
- Retirement of Teresa Green (30-Oct-2025) >>
- Anatomy of a Maritime Medical Emergency (14-Jan-2025) >>
- Maritime Medical Emergency, January 2024 (18-Jan-2024) >>