How a Hantavirus Cruise Passenger Is Spending His Quarantine in Nebraska

Jake Rosmarin boarded a cruise ship in Argentina on April 1 expecting a few weeks of swimming, hiking and birding on a trip to Cabo Verde. Instead, he found himself at the center of a global health crisis, as his ship became ground zero for a deadly hantavirus outbreak.

Now he’ll spend another six weeks in a 300-square-foot, airtight quarantine room at a medical center in Omaha. Doctors there will monitor him and 15 other American passengers for signs of the rare virus carried by rodents, for which there is no readily available vaccine.

“I’ve never been so excited to go to Nebraska,” Mr. Rosmarin, 29, texted his fiancé when the group was bound for the specialized quarantine center.

A travel influencer from Boston, Mr. Rosmarin has taken several trips with the cruise ship’s parent company, Oceanwide Expeditions, posting videos and social media updates about the experiences in exchange for free travel.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/us/hantavirus-quarantine-nebraska-travel-influencer.html