Spanish authorities said Tuesday the vessel would be received in the Canary Islands within three to four days.
The MV Hondius has been moored for two days after a hantavirus outbreak was detected on board, leaving three passengers dead and several others suspected to be infected.
Spain's Health Ministry said passengers and crew would be examined, treated and later transferred to their home countries once the ship docks. Authorities did not specify which port in the Canary Islands would receive the vessel.
The government said the decision was based on international law and humanitarian principles, adding that Cape Verde lacked the capacity to manage the situation. Spain also noted that the Canary Islands were the nearest location with adequate facilities and that several Spanish citizens were among those on board.
Canary Islands oppose hantavirus ship docking
The regional government of the Canary Islands is opposed to allowing a luxury cruise ship hit by an outbreak of the deadly hantavirus to dock on ?the archipelago, its leader says.
Fernando Clavijo said he was concerned that safety conditions could not be guaranteed.
"This decision is not based on any technical criteria, nor have we been provided with sufficient information to maintain a message of calm and guarantee the safety of the population in the Canary Islands," Clavijo told the EFE news agency.
He questioned why it is not possible to evacuate passengers to their respective countries of origin from Praia International Airport, which serves the capital of Cape Verde, where the cruise ship is currently anchored.
Clavijo also said he had requested an urgent meeting to discuss the matter with ?Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Clavijo is a member of the ?conservative ?People's Party, the ?main opposition to Sanchez's Socialists.
Any decision ultimately rests with Madrid, which supersedes regional authorities.
Andes hantavirus detected in cruise outbreak
South African health authorities have identified the Andes strain of hantavirus in passengers from a cruise ship outbreak.
Officials said Wednesday the cases were confirmed after passengers were evacuated from a vessel stranded off Cape Verde.
The World Health Organization has said the Andes virus is mainly found in South America, especially in Argentina and Chile. Unlike most hantaviruses, it can spread between people, though transmission typically requires close contact such as sharing a bed or food.
South Africa's Department of Health said the findings were based on tests carried out after two passengers were flown in from the ship. One, a British man, is in intensive care, while the second case was confirmed posthumously after a woman died in South Africa.
Three passengers have died in the outbreak linked to the ship, which departed from Argentina. At least four others have fallen ill, with three still on board awaiting evacuation.
The World Health Organization said two of the earliest cases — a Dutch woman who later died and her husband — had recently traveled in Argentina and elsewhere in South America before boarding the vessel.