A specialist Army unit and medical staff have been parachuted onto the British overseas territory of Tristan da Cunha carrying medical supplies and equipment, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced.

The UK Health Security Agency revealed on Friday that aBritish citizen had disembarked from the cruisevessel MV Hondius onto the island, where they reside, with a suspected hantavirus infection. Six paratroopers, an RAF consultant and Army medic from 16 Air Assault Brigade were dropped in, while oxygen supplies and medical equipment were air-dropped onto the isolated island, which is typically only reachable by sea.

The RAF A400M transport plane departed from RAF Brize Norton bound for Ascension Island, backed by an RAF Voyager, before continuing to Tristan da Cunha. The MoD confirmed this marked the first occasion medical personnel had been parachuted in todeliver humanitarian assistance.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that protecting "all members of the British family" remains the utmost priority.

She added: "We will continue to work closely with international authorities and the Tristan da Cunha administration, keeping those affected informed and ensuring the right support is in place in the UK and across the Overseas Territories."

The MV Hondius docked in Tenerife on Sunday morning, with British passengers set to be flown home to quarantine at the hospital previously used as the UK's primary Covid isolation facility, as the UKHSA maintained the threat to the public "remains very low". UKHSA revealed passengers will be transported to an isolation facility at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, Merseyside, following their repatriation to the UK aboard a chartered aircraft.

Representatives from the UKHSA and Foreign Office were set to meet the MV Hondius upon its arrival in Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, with British nationals on board undergoing hantavirus testing before disembarking.

Should individuals test negative and show no symptoms, they will be taken directly to a chartered repatriation aircraft equipped with medical staff and containing protective equipment including face masks.

Upon arrival back in the UK, the passengers will be accommodated in a residential block at the Arrowe Park site, separated from the hospital's public zones, to undergo clinical evaluations and testing as a precautionary step.

The hospital previously accommodated British citizens returning from Wuhan, China, in January 2020 during the onset of the Covid pandemic.

Source: Drudge Report