Ruhi Çenet: Turkish YouTuber explains why he attended a crowded wedding after returning from hantavirus-stricken cruise

Ruhi Çenet, a popular Turkish YouTuber with more than 18 million subscribers, admitted to attending a wedding in Istanbul after returning from the hantavirus-hit cruise MV Hondius. Cenet, 35, boarded the cruise ship in Ushuaia, Argentina, on April 1 to film a documentary about Tristan da Cunha, a remote South Atlantic archipelago and left the ship on April 24.

After the World Health Organization (WHO) reported the possible outbreak and death of three people, a photo of him attending a wedding went viral on social media and drew nationwide backlash and criticism, reports Türkiye Today.

Çenet addressed the criticism in an Instagram post shared Friday, May 8, explaining why he attended the wedding on May 3, the same day the WHO said it was investigating a possible hantavirus outbreak linked to the ship.


"On the date I attended the wedding, the Hantavirus epidemic was not announced by the World Health Organization," he wrote on Instagram in Turkish. He also confirmed he is now quarantining while saying he still has not shown any symptoms.

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A post shared by Ruhi Çenet (@ruhicenet)

During the voyage, a 70-year-old Dutch passenger died on April 11. According to Çenet, passengers were initially told the death was unrelated to any infectious disease.

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In footage filmed by Çenet and later published by NBC News and him, the ship’s captain addressed passengers the following day. “Whatever health issues he was struggling with, I'm told by the doctor, were not infectious, so the ship is safe when it comes to that," the captain announced, according to Çenet.

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A post shared by Ruhi Çenet (@ruhicenet)

"The ship is safe. This gentleman, unfortunately, succumbed to natural causes. And like I say, we do what we can in order to continue in a safe and dignified way," the captain added in the video filmed by Çenet.

Çenet later told NBC News that passengers were “not well informed” during the ordeal. "It's very scary because it was nothing that we were ready for,” he said.

For the remainder of the trip, Çenet said he self-isolated alongside his cameraman, according to Agence France-Presse. However, he claimed the cruise largely continued operating normally until April 24.

He said passengers continued dining together, avoided masks, and “didn't take any caution for a solid 12 days."

The Dutch passenger’s body was removed from the ship on April 24, the same day Çenet and several passengers disembarked on Saint Helena. Reflecting on that decision, Çenet told AFP, "I wish we did not land there after the first casualty, because along with us, there were a hundred more passengers, and they were interacting with the islanders."

"This is one of my regrets, because the island is the most remote one, and they don't have enough medical centres, enough doctors," he added.

After returning to Turkey, Çenet said authorities informed him quarantine was unnecessary if no symptoms were present. "We are trying to isolate ourselves as much as we can," he told AFP. May 3, the World Health Organization said it was aware of the first laboratory-confirmed hantavirus infection associated with the cruise ship.

As of Friday, May 8, the WHO reported eight suspected cases tied to the outbreak, including three deaths.