The cruise ship passengers being monitored for hantavirus in Nebraska will be allowed to leave the medical facility before the end of a 42-day period if certain conditions are met, a public health official indicated Monday.

The individuals will remain at the facility in Nebraska for at least a few days during assessments, Brendan Jackson, acting director of the Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, said.

They will have the choice to stay in Nebraska all 42 days if they wish, but if they choose to return home, there will be several factors that play into the decision, such as whether “they remain symptom free,” he said.

Health officials will also assess whether passengers can safely isolate at home, maintain contact with local health departments and quickly access testing or medical care if symptoms develop.

AMERICANS EXPOSED TO HANTAVIRUS ABOARD CRUISE SHIP LAND IN NEBRASKA

Brendan Jackson, MD, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention acting director of the division of high-consequence pathogens and pathology, speaks during a press conference at the Davis Global Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus, which holds the National Quarantine Unit, on May 11, 2026 in Omaha, Neb. (Dylan Widger/Getty Images)

Only those who can meet those standards, and whose home states can coordinate monitoring, will be cleared to leave.

Still, officials emphasized that the final decision will ultimately involve the passengers themselves.

“Yes,” Jackson said when asked if it would be their choice. “We want to do this in the least restrictive way possible… that protects the health and safety of both the passengers and their communities.”

Jackson noted passengers can remain at the facility for the full monitoring period if needed.

Of the 18 individuals transported back to the U.S. after a hantavirus outbreak tied to a cruise ship, 16 are now in Nebraska, while two are in Atlanta.

TOP WHO OFFICIAL WARNS CRUISE PASSENGERS ARE ‘HIGH-RISK CONTACTS’ AS AMERICANS RETURN FROM HANTAVIRUS SHIP

Fifteen of the individuals in Nebraska are in quarantine, while one was placed in the biocontainment unit, noted Michael Wadman, medical director of the National Quarantine Unit at University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Angela Hewlett, MD, the medical director of Nebraska Biocontainment Unit speaks during a press conference at the Davis Global Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus, which holds the National Quarantine Unit, on May 11, 2026 in Omaha, Neb. (Dylan Widger/Getty Images)

Angela Hewlett, medical director of the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, noted during the press conference that the individual in the biocontainment unit previously had an “equivocal positive test,” which she noted was “not in the United States. The person was not experiencing any symptoms, she said.

One of the passengers transported to Atlanta was symptomatic, Matthew Ferreira of HHS noted.

The risk hantavirus poses to the general public is “very, very low,” Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Adm. Brian Christine said during the news conference.

“The Andes variant of this virus does not spread easily and it requires prolonged, close contact with someone who is already symptomatic,” he explained.

HANTAVIRUS OUTBREAK TIMELINE HIGHLIGHTS KEY MOMENTS IN DEADLY CRUISE CRISIS

This aerial picture shows a general view of the cruise ship MV Hondius stationary off the port of Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, on May 4, 2026. (AFP via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The CDC explains online that “Andes virus is the only type of hantavirus that is known to spread person-to-person. This spread is usually limited to people who have close contact with a sick person. This includes direct physical contact, prolonged time spent in close or enclosed spaces, and exposure to the sick person’s body fluids.”

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.

Reference #18.c5d07868.1778523153.447d4f72

https://errors.edgesuite.net/18.c5d07868.1778523153.447d4f72

Caitlin Clark’s surprise walkout with Morgan Wallen at his concert Saturday night in Indianapolis drew a predictable reaction online.

Race idolatrous commentator Van Lathan Jr. stoked the flames with a viral post, writing “lol” above a clip of Clark and Wallen.

ESPN guest writer Jayson Buford went further, calling Clark “uncool” in a Substack post following the appearance.

“Caitlin Clark is beloved by most people despite her proximity to the type of whiteness that is inherently scary,” Buford wrote. “So why did she walk out with Morgan Wallen? It’s so blatantly corny. Just be cool.”

Inherently scary, huh?

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark waits to check into a game against the Dallas Wings on May 9, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire)

THE WNBA WON’T GROW THIS SEASON IF MEAN GIRLS AND RACE BULLIES REFUSE TO ACCEPT CAITLIN CLARK

Fox News Digital compiled other notable reactions, including one user replying to a Barstool post, “She walks out with a racist? Not a good look.”

Nearly two days later, similar comments are still surfacing. It’s pathetic and desperate. It also reeks of a double standard.

The outrage is, in part, tied to a recording of Wallen using a racial slur in 2021. In reality, though, the backlash reflects the disdain critics like Lathan have for Clark. They want to cast her as a villain in the culture war to satisfy their contempt for a straight woman reaching superstardom in women’s basketball.

Wallen is one of the country’s biggest musical stars. When given the chance, few people would turn down the opportunity to walk out with him during a concert, including most athletes, both Black and White. Patrick Mahomes, Myles Garrett, Marshawn Lynch and Mike Tyson have all done so during Wallen’s tour. Yet there was no such outrage when they did it.

Morgan Wallen performs during the 16th Annual Darius and Friends St. Jude Benefit at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., on June 2. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images for ABA)

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

We also can’t help but notice the lack of fury from the hall monitors of morality when players and coaches have embraced other musicians, those with darker pasts than Wallen.

Chris Brown is a serial abuser. And yet, Paige Bueckers and Coach Dawn Staley didn’t face any backlash for attending his concerts and posing with him last summer.

We asked Lathan why he seemed more offended by Clark walking out with Wallen than by Staley and Bueckers celebrating Brown. He responded by blocking me on X. Apparently, Lathan is among those who view word crimes (Wallen using a slur) more seriously than violent crimes (Brown violently assaulting Rihanna).

OUTKICK IS NOW ON THE FOX APP: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark reacts to fans before the WNBA All-Star basketball game in Indianapolis on July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, file)

Put bluntly, Clark’s detractors are not serious people. They are bitter grifters trying to appeal to racially charged corners of the internet.

Caitlin Clark has done nothing in her career to insert herself into discussions about racism. The reality is that some Black players and media members cannot accept that she is the most popular woman in basketball, and so they project their own racism onto her.

The response to her walking out with Morgan Wallen was just another excuse to try to vilify her along racial lines.