ATLANTA – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Emory University Hospital are monitoring two Georgia residents following a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship that resulted in three deaths.

Atlanta hospital monitoring

What we know:

A couple returned to Georgia last week and was moved Monday to Emory University Hospital for specialized monitoring. One of the passengers showed mild symptoms of the virus but has since tested negative. Both individuals were passengers on the MV Hondius, a ship where the Andes variant of hantavirus was identified.

The CDC confirmed the patients are being kept in a biocontainment unit designed for highly infectious diseases. Doctors at Emory said one individual is receiving treatment while the other is being monitored, though they emphasize there is no risk to the general public.

Monitoring and travel status

What we don’t know:

Health officials have not confirmed if the passengers will be cleared to leave the hospital or return home before a 42-day period is over. While one test was negative, authorities have not said how many additional tests or how much more observation time is needed before the couple is fully cleared. The exact names and ages of the Georgia residents have not been released due to privacy concerns.

Cruise ship outbreak

The backstory:

The outbreak began in April on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius during a voyage from Argentina. Nine cases have been confirmed and three people died after the virus spread, likely through human-to-human transmission of the Andes strain. This specific strain is known for causing Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a severe respiratory illness.

Low public risk

Big picture view:

While the Andes variant is serious, the CDC and World Health Organization assess the risk to the general public as low. The virus typically spreads through close contact with bodily fluids or respiration rather than everyday social contact. Federal and state health departments are using established protocols to manage the repatriation and monitoring of the 18 Americans who were on the ship.

Georgia and Florida State appear to be honoring their word in that they will end up playing each other.

According to Brett McMurphy of On3, Florida State athletic director Mike Alford has said Georgia and Florida State will play at a neutral site game in 2028.

While Georgia has not yet commented on the news, Alford also revealed that there are seven possible neutral venues they are eyeing for the game.

Those venues are Atlanta, Nashville, Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Charlotte and New Orleans.

With the exception of Orlando, Georgia has some history — or a future game — with all of the possible venues.

Below, we rank the possible venues from Georgia’s perspective as to where the game could be played.

Georgia-Florida State possible neutral site games