Life returns to normal in Cape Verde after the ship MV Hondius left Cape Verde with almost 150 people on board to head to the Canary Islands, Spain.
The cruise ship was not allowed to dock at the port of Praia, due to the circulation of the hantavirus on board. The outbreak was confirmed aboard the ship on May 2. Leaving at least three dead.
''I think they (the authorities) did well, because if the boat had let people disembark here, it could have been a problem, because of the virus. But I'm sad for the people who were on board, because they couldn't go ashore to discover this place. I wish they would come and see the place and feel happy,'' says construction worker Edmilson Semedo.
Manuela Silva, trader, agrees ''The government made the right decision, it did not let the boat dock in our port, because they could have transmitted this virus to all of us. And we could have caught it.''
Health prevention was preferred in favor of tourism. After this episode, locals tout their island as a major tourist destination on the mainland. Encouraging people curious to discover the country to visit it.
''In Cape Verde, no stress. It's a pleasant country. You can enjoy the good weather, the landscapes. And also music. This is very important in our culture. We also have football, as you can see we qualified for the World Cup for the first time. Cape Verde is morabeza (hospitality), no stress.'', underlines Daniel Debarros, tourist guide.
The MV Hondius has placed Cape Verde, a country rarely in the spotlight and one of the least populated in Africa, at the center of worldwide attention.
